The Killing Moon
by bahbahh
Summary: Link continues to struggle with memory loss and establishing his place in the world now that Zelda returned. There is quiet longing between them in moments when they are alone that Link still cannot place. Zelda believes they can restore Hyrule to it's former glory but what challenge does the mystery of the Blood Moon pose for this dream?
1. Chapter 1 - A Warning

The eerie still of the East Reservoir Lake rippled gently at his feet as water once again began to fountain from the trunk of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. Nearly a week's journey from Kakariko Villiage–they were forced to seek refuge in the Lanayru Wetlands thanks to a relentless rain storm - and within an hour of gaining access to the mechanical beast, Zelda had it up and running again. The cluster of Zora that crowded around him to watch erupted in cheers before taking off into the water. The playful urge to bound forward and join them swirled up in Link's chest but as he had done already so many times since the defeat of Calamity Ganon he held back and resigned himself to the shore, a safe distance and his thoughts.

Their arrival together to the Zora's Domain was much different than his first. Well, the first arrival that he could _actively_ remember. Link discovered he'd become more sensitive to that fact and the reactions of those he met during his travels as they related to his memory. He may not recall where he had once been or people he knew but the world that went on while he was asleep remembered and his ignorance did not offer much bliss or exemption. Promises and friendships he made followed him one hundred years whether he could recall them or not. Brief flits of memories returned to him, sure and from them he could string together a general understanding. But for the most part they were all still disjointed slivers of a past he wasn't able to confidently claim with all sincerity to know. And neither he nor Zelda or even Impa could predict if he would ever completely regain them all.

But from what he _could_ recall having Zelda by his side was a welcomed relief when they entered Zora's Domain. For one, the attention was split and _thankfully_ unevenly weighted toward her. Even the elder Zora, whom despite his part in freeing Ruta from Calamity Ganon's influence still managed to gaze upon him with a degree of quiet disdain, were able to table their grudges in favor of spending time with the Princess. And Zelda indulged each and every one of them with patience and sincerity that Link found both exhausting and admirable. It was not a surprise to him that one hundred years ago he gained a reputation of being one of few words as her appointed knight. Zelda held a conversation with the same natural confidence with which he wielded the Master Sword.

Was he always this way or was it learned in his training? What was he like ...as a kid? Before he became the appointed knight? Most of what returned to him pertained to Zelda and Calamity Ganon. Memories people shared suggested he was social but ever since he awoke in the Shrine of Resurrection he discovered it felt almost instinct not to fight to find his voice even when demanded of him. Peace returned to Hyrule and yet for him so many questions remained. It seemed a bit unfair…not to know what it was he should miss. The world they were working to rebuild – he held no reference.

"Link!" Sidon appeared out of the water about twenty yards from him. Link snapped out of his brooding and immediately scowled at the Zora Prince. Sidon sheeplishly flashed a sharp-toothed grin. "She's _fine!_ " Link glanced up at the mechanical elephant. Zelda must have been playing with the terminals because the trunk was lifting and lowering, spraying the Zora that play below. All seemed well.

Regardless she was not supposed to be alone. "It was all clear as I promised."

Link shot another heated glare back at Sidon. "Honestly Link do you think I would leave her in there if I thought anything was amiss with the Divine Beast? Vah Ruta did become mine to pilot since you freed it. You should have seen her, really. I've been fussing around with those terminals every day for weeks and I'm _clueless_ compared to her. I have so much to learn. Besides, I think she can handle herself from the sounds of it now that her power has awa-" He stopped and rolled his eyes at Link who started to trudge toward him, sword and all, into the water. "Fine, fine. Let us go to her. But you know what she will say."

Link was tempted to strike the back of Sidon's head as they swam together to the Divine Beast but as always it was difficult to stay angry with the Prince. Link _thought_ the plan was clear. Zelda was insistent, borderline delivered a direct order, that she examine Divine Beast Vah Ruta on her own. Link, Sidon, and Zelda finally agreed only after the pilot checked, double-checked and promised to remain with Zelda while she surveyed Ruta's terminals that Link would stay on shore. He would never admit it outloud but he was not eager to re-board Ruta or any of the other Divine Beasts again. However, despite the fact his memory still lay in pieces and there were only a handful things that he was certain of, protecting Zelda felt as much a part of him as his right hand. That did not need any restoration despite the Shrine of Resurrection's payment for his life. Even with Calamity Ganon gone it was just as she had said- courage could not be forgotten. The same went for his sense of duty.

Sidon was right. Link did know what Zelda would say and the thought sank deeper into his stomach the closer they got to the Divine Beast. Things had only gotten worse between them since the battle for Hyrule. When she looked at him now it made Link feel like despite reuniting, she never felt further away.

* * *

" _May I ask…Do you really remember me?"_

 _Speechless. That was what Link had been. Day after day he fought to save her from Calamity Ganon and when she was finally there before him he froze. A slideshow of returned memories flashed before his eyes and yes, he remembered her…but only from them. Zelda had not aged a day. One hundred years of holding back Ganon from unleashing his malice on the world fatigued her crystal blue eyes but they always seemed tired in his memories of her. Tired of the expectations of her father. The weight of her blood curse. The pressure of countless unanswered prayers. Deep inside he felt the familiar beacon to protect her pulse and vibrate his core. He knew it was Zelda…but did he really remember? It was a heavy question and after all he had been through- all she had been through- he could not bring himself to just answer yes. He did not know how to begin. Seconds bled into minutes and she showed him mercy and moved on. The more he thought about it the more he wondered if that had been more for her sake than his own._

 _He did not find his voice again until the night the storm sidetracked them in Lanayru Wetlands. They spent all day under a shelter of trees and rock. Lightening branched bright yellow across the rain swollen sky. Starting a fire was futile so as night fell and the weather refused to let up, they were forced to huddle close for warmth. Silently he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and tucked down beside her with his back against the cold stone. He just started to drift into sleep when he felt fingers brush over the back of his palm._

 _"Your hands are freezing Link." Zelda sighed and scooted closer to him, opening the blanket for him to join her. When he didn't budge she sighed again and took his hands up in hers before lifting them to her mouth. "You need not suffer completely at my expense." She let out a breath and warmth curled around his fingers. "You'd actually be quite useless without your hands."_

 _At first he almost pulled his hands away in favor of obliging her original offer to share the damp blanket. Even though it was a gentle gesture he felt her grip was iron-clasp on him. He remained still and watched her as she smoothed over his knuckles with her fingers between each breath. Strands of blonde hair were matted to the side of her face with rain. The tip of her nose was red. He wished he could get the fire going. Words bubbled up faster than they could be contained such that he wondered how long they had been waiting. "I'm trying." He said._

 _Zelda paused and her head dipped forward ever so slightly in his hands. It was the same microscopic crestfallen gesture he recognized in every memory that surfaced of Zelda interacting with her father. Or when her prayers failed. "It's not your fault, Link. You did not ask be brought back; to lose your memories. But it was the only way we could stop Calamity Ganon. It was foolish for me to think we could have it all. His defeat and…your memories returned."_

 _She returned to warming his hands. "Do you resent me?" Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "What I did? For the price you paid?"_

* * *

He was alive. Air in his lungs, beating heart. How could he be angry with her for that? That was his initial thought when she asked him but the question lingered after the rain finally stopped and in every day since. Genuine anger did not feel like a natural emotional to him but then again, he couldn't be sure. No one, no matter how intimately they claimed to remember him, could tell Link what went on in his head and heart one hundred years ago. It just didn't seem possible for him to hold both a fierce dedication to protect her and deep resentment...

Link and Sidon climbed the ramp into Vah Ruta's belly. He hadn't been inside the Divine Beast since he freed it from Ganon's Blight. It was even more cavernous and confusing without the pockets of Malice. Metal gears sang around him and he fought the urge to plug his ears with both fingers. He was glad to have been the Champion of the ground and not a Beast.

Zelda was to the left of the main terminal. Sidon let out a cheerful "Hey-yo!" And Link half expected her to hiss at the sight of him but she didn't. When she turned the look on her face nearly made him ill with worry. Fair skin slick and ghostly pale. Her eyes wide, panicked. Without hesitation Link sprint toward her faster than it all must have all registered with Sidon because the Prince was a good five seconds behind Link when he reached her.

Link did not touch her. Instead he stopped just before her and tilted his head down to find her gaze. Sidon came up beside her and placed a webbed hand on her shoulder. "Princess? What is it?"

Zelda did not break eye contact with Link despite Sidon's question. Her voice was hoarse as if she had been screaming. Maybe she had. "It's not over. Ganon. H-He's going to come back!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Conscripted Alliance

_Note: This fanfiction has an M rating. Not every chapter will necessarily warrant this and I will try my best to give a brief content warning when they do but regardless, please anticipate there will be adult content/mature themes. This chapter contains some graphic content._

* * *

 _Chapter 2 - Conscripted Alliance_

* * *

Zelda' s words hung heavy in the air around them. It reminded Link of the brief pause after an explosion before the brain has time to register any destruction. Suddenly he was back in his training. The trainee next to him blew his hand away mixing a crude elixir. The boy calmly finished his sentence about the rubber consistency of Moblin guts before he started screaming.

All the blood rushed from Link's head and he swayed dangerously to the side. Sidon's free hand caught his shoulder and steadied him. Spots swam Link his vision long after the memory evaporated back into the present moment.

Calamity Ganon.

The Scourge of Hyrule Castle. Returning? _Already?_ Link swore he could feel the heat of Malice lick the back of his neck. In the distance…was that a roar? Could speaking his name conjure him back? If anyone possessed the power to do so it was Zelda. But she would not do so willingly.

Less than a month passed since Link and Zelda sealed him away. Did legend not promise another ten thousand years until they needed to worry again? Furthermore, had they — he and Zelda — not earned time? Was fate so against them and whatever life they might have outside of their respective blood curses? He met Sidon's concerned gaze briefly and nodded to signal he was clear. The Prince released his shoulder. Link wanted to question Zelda but he knew she would not make the claim unless she had reason. The look on her face was similar to the one she made when he was dying. Did she believe he would fall once again?

Sidon needed persuasion. "Wha-what? Princess?" He smiled and shook her shoulder gently. "Surely, you mean _eventually._ No one expects Ganon to be gone forever. We learned from history not to doubt that. But we have plenty of—"

" _No_!" Zelda spoke so sharply that Sidon jumped and snapped his hand back as if she'd become electrified. "Mipha, your sister, she-she appeared to me. She caused Divine Beast Vah Ruta to malfunction hoping it would get us here. She's warning us. The Champions – they are all trying to warn us. But how…He—it can't be." Her eyes grew suddenly distant and then disappeared altogether, crystal blue dissolving into milk white. A glowing trio of triangles blossomed out of nothing over her breasts. The pieces of triangle were fused at the corners to form one giant triangle but each one seemed to be vibrating. They pulsed as if they had a heartbeat but as Link peered closer…

It was almost as if they were fighting to remain together. Or escape one another.

"Princess?" Sidon said. Her irises returned after a moment and the glowing triangles disappeared but her mind remained far away. Link noticed her hands were trembling and grabbed them hoping the act of physically pulling her forward would bring her from wherever she was back to him. A tiny gasp left her lips as she folded into him and immediately wrapped her arms around his chest. She clung to him more fiercely than he'd ever been embraced. Whatever had taken over her—if it returned, it would have to annex them both.

"Link." She said breathlessly in his ear. "We must to go to Impa. Now."

* * *

Prince Sidon promised not to speak of what happened inside Divine Beast Vah Ruta. There was no sense in causing a panic when they knew so little. He requested to come with them to Kakariko Village but Zelda convinced him to stay behind to work on mastering Ruta's controls as fast as he could. He was also to send a message to the remaining pilots to do the same.

They shared a horse even though both of them were perfectly capable of riding alone. Letting her out of his sight was out of the question and the Princess seemed to retire the fight for now. Zelda's horse scouted ahead of them. Thankfully the weather was in their favor this time.

Her arms slung lazily around his waist and he felt her head gently bob against his shoulder to the rhythm of his horse's trot. She was exhausted. Sleep was again difficult for the both of them. Glowing yellow eyes began to watch him from the dark of his dreams. Zelda did not offer what repeatedly yanked her from slumber but Link suspected it was of a similar theme.

She recounted the vision as they crossed into the Rikoka Hills. "Mipha said they were tricked. They thought it was over just as we did." Zelda sighed. "She's the only one who managed to remain behind when it was realized. And now…she's once more in limbo." The thought of Mipha's soul trapped any longer than she'd already been filled Link with sadness. She was the kindest of the fallen Champions. Fiercely adored by her people even a hundred years later. Her father did not have to fight her memory fading with time— unlike what he found in the other Champion's domains— the Zora actively honored her no doubt in respect to their beloved royalty's tireless grief. Sometimes when they spoke about her Link liked to imagine that the statue of her protecting the entrance to Zora's Domain frequently came to life to be with her people. But despite all the wonder and magic within the world the lost could not be brought back simply by way of missing them. If that were the case the King would have reunited with his daughter many, many years ago.

It made him wonder…had anyone felt the same about him?

Or was it merely accepted he had just done his job; laying down his life to protect the Princess. Maybe it was his fault. It did not sound like he left much behind for people to miss or remember by way of a legacy. Just how he both fulfilled his duty and failed at the same time.

Then again, the majority of the people he fostered relationships were long dead. If only he could remember more about Mipha and her affinity toward him…second thought, he was somewhat relieved he couldn't. Once the Master Sword chose him a "normal" life or whatever he might've envisioned for himself became fantasy. Link understood this to be the same for Zelda. Well, _similar_. He was granted some semblance of a childhood before his fate changed.

Despite their strained beginning he and Zelda formed a bond that transcended a hundred years. Whether or not he shared any affection for Mipha did not serve him now. The Princess. Zelda. It was only her.

Whatever that meant.

"' _The moon_ ," Her voice yanked him from his thoughts. " _he will return by the light of the moon'_. I don't understand. After all we have done, all we have lost...what more could there be?" A silent question passed between them. He felt her arms hold him a little tighter in acknowledgement. Did they possess the strength to save the world again? Zelda herself said time had leeched some of her power. "Hopefully Impa can tell us more."

* * *

The Elder of Kakariko Village greeted them with a toothy smile. Impa removed the straw hat from her head and moved quicker than Link thought her tiny body was still capable of to greet Zelda. He sidestepped next to Paya who let out a teeny squeak. "Princess," Impa cupped Zelda's face in her leathered hands. Zelda mirrored the gesture, dipping her head down to press her forehand against the Elder's. "At long last...you are back."

"Thank you, Impa. I wish this was just a visit but we—" Zelda paused briefly to nod in Link's direction. Impa suddenly grabbed a fistful of his Champion's tunic and dragged him to join them. Paya squeaked again. Zelda continued,"—yes, uh. We desperately need your guidance."

"Of course you do." She crooned. When Link was close enough she repeated the welcoming gesture which surprisingly did not unnerve him as much he anticipated it would. He decided she was less intimidating without the hat. "It doesn't surprise me that this once conscripted alliance has flowered with time!"

Link could not describe the noise that Paya made next. His jaw dropped in Impa's maternal hold. Was it…e _xpected_ of them? Another hidden condition to their intertwined destinies? Granted, it was significantly less perilous than defeating Calamity Ganon but it felt nearly as daunting realized out loud.

"What — _no_! No, no, no, i _t's not_ ," Zelda sputtered. Her face glowed pink. "that's not it." Link slithered out of Impa's embrace and gripped the Master Sword for no reason. He could not fend off her presumptions. Amidst all the commotion Paya backed herself into a corner and began to whimper. Link could tell Zelda was trying to remain patient. She smoothed her hair out of her face and pressed her lips together. "Perhaps we should speak privately?"

Impa actually winked at him. He cocked his head to the side. _Who are you?_ This was not the old women who guided him through the journey to save Zelda. "Of course, of course." Impa said and on cue Paya scuttled past them and out the door.

Impa's disposition changed drastically when they were finally able to reveal what happened upon Divine Beast Vah Ruta. She returned the hat atop her crown of silver-grey hair and assumed her position on the cushion between the stairs to the upper level of the hut. Link took to counting the grooves in the wooden floorboards under his boots while she long considered Mipha's warning. Zelda paced next to him. "I need to consult my scrolls."

"But we may not have ti—" Zelda's voice faded as Impa bowed her head. The massive red eye of the Sheikah glared down upon them from her hat _._ "As it has been true for the past one hundred years; it is what we do with the time that has been granted to us that makes the difference. We do not do well to dwell over how _many_ minutes remain. Rushing will make us messy. Ill-prepared. It could kill us. I will consult my scrolls for answers. Pray to the Goddesses the night remains calm."


	3. Chapter 3 - Bellum Brewing

_Chapter 3 - Bellum Brewing  
_

* * *

Whether it was in warmth from the cold, comfort in the dark or the anticipation of a hot meal Link always enjoyed sitting by a fire. He made a lot them since he woke up and was convinced the skill was one he must have set to master even before his knight training. He did not need to strain to remember the steps. Similar to how he handled nearly any weapon that made it into his hands with effortless proficiency, Link surmised the skill was ingrained within him somehow. Instructions etched into bone such that even the power of the Shrine of Resurrection was able to erode in its toll for preserving his life.

He watched the flames dance beneath the cooking basin. The familiar crackle and pop of wood brought him a tiny bit of comfort. He wished he could share it with Zelda who had not taken her eyes off the sky since night fell. It was overcast. There were no stars or moonlight to ease her worry and still she took watch.

He was worried as well. Impa's words did little to quell the anxiety he felt slowly beginning to simmer inside him at the thought of Calamity Ganon returning. He understood what she meant. Without answers or at least some concrete guidance he and Zelda would essentially be spinning their wheels. Fighting blind and wasting precious energy they would most certainly need to face Ganon if he returned. Mipha's warning although inspiring attention, lacked clarity and direction. Nothing about the prophecy that propelled them into their destinies a hundred years ago mentioned anything about the moon. At least nothing Link could remember...the scope of his helpfulness in that aspect remained minimal.

They might as well consult an apple tree.

Zelda let out another frustrated sigh. "I do not understand how she can remain so _calm_ about this." Link glanced in her direction. Bits of campfire light danced across her face. "I feel like no one understands how vulnerable Hyrule is right now. I don't know if...it will withstand another attack so soon." Link read between the lines. She was not talking about Hyrule. She fell silent and returned to scanning the sky. His eyes lingered on her for a long moment. Watching the fire's reflection on her; Link concluded quickly he liked that, too.

" _Pumpkins_." He blurted suddenly. Zelda jerked her attention to him and raised an eyebrow. He scrambled to assemble a formal sentence. "Kakariko village is famous for them…did you know that?" Zelda eyed him incredulously. Link nodded to the cooking basin over the fire were he was roasting slices of pumpkin with butter, wild bird meat and apple. Almost as if on cue, a tiny gust of wind circled them with the mouth-watering smell. Zelda's expressed softened. Food always helped.

"You've gotten better at this." She said.

"Hm. We'll see when it's ready." He turned a slice of meat over carefully. Out in the wild when he was crisscrossing Hyrule to free the Divine Beasts he would get so hungry he'd eat just about anything he could hold over an open flame. Raw if he did not have the materials to coax fire. " _Better_ " was highly subjective but Link did give himself some credit. Most of his cooking was better than her late suggestion of a live hot-footed frog.

He felt her ease closer to him and automatically lifted his arm up to shield her shoulders from the cold. Muscle memory. "I had a hard time imagining what life would be like after it all…moments like this…if we defeated Calamity Ganon." She began slowly. "It's not that I doubted you in anyway. I knew you would wake up and fulfill your destiny. It was just…I was fighting for _so long_ and it became all I could think about, mostly. Holding back Ganon day and night for all those years...when I tried to find my future…" Link turned to look at her and was taken back by her closeness. She was looking directly at him. He could feel her breath on his face. "Well," She said. "it was all to do with you."

Link ached in way he could not place. It was hard to tell if he felt the same or if he felt guilty. The library in his head to draw comparison to was insufficient. Perhaps it was a bit of both? _Ah_ , the safety of duality. She suffered for so long while he slept and then even longer as he slowly started to remember. Zelda told him she watched over him. Suddenly it struck Link how painful that must have been for her…watching the person she tethered the last of her hope struggle with the fragments of his past. Trusting him blindly to redeem himself. To save her.

 _Save her, Link! Avenge us, Link!_

Had she been omnipresent all along or did she merely follow him when she could? There were moments of weakness. Anger. When they traveled side-by-side all those years ago he could hide them. She made it easy, especially in the beginning, demanding independence. It was comforting to know he had not been alone and at the same time he felt an incredible pressure to atone for the things he could not undo. Did she know there were times when he felt hollow since he woke up? Older than old?

"I'm sorry." Link said.

The intensity behind Zelda's eyes ignited. "For?"

He felt like he was bleeding out. In the diary he found climbing Hyrule Castle, Zelda wrote she was slowly able to get him to open up. He wondered if had always been this painful or did it become so the closer they got. Link rolled his head and forced their eye contact to break. "For leaving you," He gritted his teeth. " _alone_. To face him. If I trained more, if I…"He paused, hoping she would cut in like she usually did. She did not. Link took his arm away from her shoulder and pressed his hands together between his legs. The memory of his death was one he revisited over and over again, critiquing mistakes he knew deep down were the result of fatigue even the most skilled warrior would succumb to. The Guardians were relentless with their numbers. And still…

"I'm sorry, Zelda. For all of it." He scrunched his shoulders up to his ears and sighed.

The crackle of the fire. A soft symphony of crickets. Link felt Zelda's hand press to his cheek and gently guide his face to hers. "It was not your fault. We were not prepared then for Ganon's trickery. We…were children. Children charged with protecting Hyrule. We did exactly what we were told and it wasn't enough at the time. We did not choose these parts and yet, we've played them. We have done the best with what we were given. And we will do what we must…whatever is coming. I know now that as long as I have you I can face it."

Link nodded. It was true. A blood curse passed down by her mother. Chosen by the sword the seals the darkness. Calamity Ganon. These were all things they would never have control over. Legend suggested this was a dance they had preformed in other lifetimes. She was better at articulating that he ever would be. His hand feathered up to gently grip her wrist, squeezing it to acknowledge the gesture however somehow it was… _lacking_. Deep in his chest it felt like he should do something more to show her he was with her even if he still could not remember.

"So, you were saying." An act of mercy. Before he could make a fool of himself Zelda pulled away from him and pointed to the fire. "Pumpkins…do you think they are ready?" He let out a laugh that was higher pitched than he would have liked. In the basin the buttered pumpkin and apple pieces were nicely browned. The slices of meat sizzled in the heat, dribbles of dark crimson seeping on the hot stone. The blood bubbled…

It hit him. All at once and so hard he gasped for air. Zelda stirred next to him, a string of concerned questions barely piercing the ringing in his ears. He watched the red with a fever. How could he be so dense? It plagued him periodically throughout his journey to free the Divine Beasts. A real thorn in his side especially when he was attempting rest outside of the safety of a village or a stable.

"The Blood Moon." He said. "Zelda, it's the Blood Moon Mipha was warning us about. Ganon is going to use it to come back."


	4. Chapter 4 - The Perfect Weapon

_Note: I apologize for the delay in delivering this chapter – I've been busy at work and have been fighting a very annoying, lingering cold. Thank you for all for the favorites, follows and reviews. I can't tell you how excited and inspired I feel when I get a notification. I hope this extra long chapter makes up for it! Content warning: Angst/violence/mature themes_

* * *

 _Chapter 4 - The Perfect Weapon  
_

* * *

Link quickly grew concerned he and Zelda might completely lose their minds. He had had a brush or two with the madness of sleep deprivation during his quest to free the Divine Beasts but at the time he only needed to remain awake until he reached the safety of a stable or random village. It never lasted more than 24 hours and it was more about finding a place to sleep not a lack of will to do so. He once crawled into a nest of tree branches to rest he was so tired.

They could be gifted a free night the Gerudo Town Inn and Link doubted even the comfort of the spa bed sheets would lull them to sleep. They trained their tired eyes to the night sky after the revelation over the bonfire and silently anticipated for the worst to come. Hours ticked away and still they did not sleep; vigilant to any subtle shift in the air or mysterious shadow on the face of the moon even when the glow of the sun began to peek from the east. Meeting with Impa the following day only made it worse. Her beloved scrolls offered nothing more than ambiguous clues. She and Zelda combed over them together for a couple hours after Link shared his epiphany and neither of them could find much information about the Blood Moon.

"I assumed it to be a part of Calamity Ganon's power. Succinct to his return and fall." Impa said finally. She delicately curled the parchment she had been scanning into itself. "But it appears to be a separate and rather mysterious phenomenon that has occurred throughout history…just not thoroughly documented or researched."

"But if we successfully sealed him away then it should not be a problem, right?" The exhausted hopefulness in Zelda's tone was heartbreaking. Link peeked up at them from the corner he tucked himself into and watched the wrinkles etched into Impa's face deepened.

"With so little known…I would hate to pass judgment and be wrong." Impa heaved a heavy sigh. Zelda met his gaze. Because if they were wrong it would mean Ganon had bested them once again. Because if they were wrong, Hyrule may not be prepared to fight the same war they already lost one hundred years ago.

Because if they were wrong he and Zelda…

They spent another day at Impa's insistence in the village. Zelda remained mostly by Impa side pouring over scrolls and books. Link eventually exited the hut in an attempt to shed the weight of his uselessness, a feeling he'd grown familiar with especially during the early days following his awakening. He spent the majority of the late afternoon helping a distressed Cado once again locate his flock of cuccos.

"These silly birds have such a flare for adventure." Said the old man as Link dropped the sixth cucco into the pen connected to his home. The bird flopped, a bundle of feathers and doltish squawking, into a cluster of peers before settling down abruptly and feasting on the spread of seeds Cado tossed out for the group. Link questioned the amount of forethought the pets held but did not bother to challenge Cado's statement. There was something fragile about the reverence with which he regarded his flock. Link wondered if it was the only sense of family Cado had in his life. Who was he, or anyone else for that matter, to try and take that away from him?

The last cucco eternally was a challenge to locate. After checking the underneath and rooftop nearly every hut in Kakariko, Link trekked the cliff top behind Impa's home get a better look at landscape and hopefully spot the stupid bird. _Maybe if I threaten to cook you you'll think twice about leaving your pen._ The village was calming down for the evening. All the shops closed. Villages began to tuck in blissfully unaware to the panic rising in his chest with the setting sun. Cottla and Koko finished up a game of hide and seek with a flurry of giggles. They spotted him and waved frantically before parting ways to their respective homes. The consequences they might face should Calamity Ganon return presented to him in a barrage of intrusive images made him sick. He managed a tiny wave back and spotted the last cucco nesting in the hollow of a tree trunk near the statue of the Goddess.

He growled and prepared to climb down when his ears caught the familiar jostling of claws and glass bottles from the wayfaring nighttime novelty shop. Kilton, per usual, seemed to appear out of nothing in the night air. A warm shrill echoed in Link's direction. Link mustered a smile. He was not particularly in the mood to listen to the Hylian's lament about the decline in monsters since they defeated Ganon. Eccentric was putting it lightly – Kilton _oozed_ enthusiasm. A walking almanac for everything monster or obscene. He once talked to Link for an hour and forty-five minutes about the utility of Hynox toenails.

In their own way, Link suspected Kilton and Zelda might get along.

" _Heyy-ayyy_!" Kilton shrilled again, clawed gauntlets gripping tightly to the makeshift counter top connected to the balloon shop so he could lift his feet up in an eager staccato of short hops. "Link! Any new monster parts for me?"

Link closed the distance between then in a defeated slow trot. "No. All my stuff is back in town with Zelda. "

" _Ooooh_! The Princess! I heard she was quite the researcher like me" He quipped. "I'd love to meet her and pick her brain. I've been experimenting with plants lately in some of my elixirs. You'd be surprised how many plants there are in Hyrule! And the number of _poisonous_ plants! The boils I contracted handling crimson nightshade have only just healed over. You won't believe what I had to trade to get my hands on it on Death Mountain. It's especially rare you know, only blooms high in the mountain during the Blood Moon so it has to be harvested quickly! The Goron have used it for—"

"Wait, what?" Link said.

"No, no. It's all healed, see!" Kilton pulled off his glove to reveal a rather delicate looking grey hand with patches of healing pink skin. "It secrets a toxic—"

"No, no, no. Kilton, I don't care about that. I mean, I'm glad you are healing." Link blurted. "The Blood Moon? Y-you know about the Blood Moon?"

"This is the most I think I've ever heard you speak!" Kilton laughed.

" _Kilton!_ "

"Wah! Of course I know about the Blood Moon. Fang and Bone runs a flash sale."

Link's heart pounded between his ears. "Do you know when the next one will happen?"

"Oh, no. It is quite unpredictable. I heard there is a fellow that hangs around the Dueling Peaks Stable who has researched it a bit. Bit of a fanatic if you ask me. Oh, what's his name…Harold…Hinky…"

" _Hino_." The name of the odd man he met early in his journey bubbled to the surface of his memory. As if he could not feel any more worthless. How could he have forgotten the encounter? Granted, the man did not strike Link as _all together_ but he talked about the Blood Moon with the same fervor as Kilton did his monsters. He had to know something that could help them.

"I owe you a Molduga fin! Thank you, Kilton!" Link barked and turned on his heel. He could hear the Hylian topple back into his shop at the mention of one of his favorite monsters but Link did not glance back. He ran full speed toward the edge of the cliff and furnished his glider.

After chucking the seventh cucco into Cado's pen he bound for Impa's and nearly crashed into Paya who was hovering near the front door. A bead of sweat slid the contour of his jawline as he finished telling Zelda and Impa about the chance conversation with Kilton. He and Zelda decided immediately to leave for the Dueling Peeks Stable. Impa promised to send word if she managed to find anything more from her records. She also sent a call for help to the Akkala and Hateno Ancient Tech Labs.

They shared a single horse again. Link steered while Zelda monitored the sky. Occasionally he glanced up himself but only briefly. He feared the moon would sense his gaze and decide to spite him by turning red. The journey only took a few hours. Link demanded a constant gallop of their horse. He felt guilty but he knew the horses would be rewarded well at the stable.

He inquired as casually as he could while registering their horses with the stable keeper about Hino. "Oh, Hino? Yes, he's out though. I believe he said he would be back in the late morning. Why don't you two get some rest while you still can? I'll cut you a deal for a soft bed since there are only a few more hours left until dawn." Link thanked him but declined. He and Zelda sat by firelight under the canopy of a tree as they had done the night before. The stable was quiet. The keeper disappeared back into the inn. A dog snoozed softly near the entrance. They were very much alone as the moon disappeared behind the Dueling Peaks.

"Do you think he'll have answers?" Zelda said quietly.

"I think he's the best chance we have right now." Link sighed and pawed at the fatigue that tugged at his eyelids. Zelda pursed her lips at him. "You should try to rest for a little while. Impa made me sleep after you left."

Link opened his mouth to counter her but instead his tired brain conjured a question. "You able to?" Zelda nodded and flexed her hands toward the fire. "For a little bit. It was easier to fall asleep during the day but the moon is setting…The Blood Moon usually occurs earlier in the night. We should we safe for another day. Do… you want to get a bed?"

His chest prickled with strange excitement. It must have registered on his face because Zelda blushed and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She did not avert her eyes or try to clarify the statement which only intensified the feeling more. Link did not know how to describe it. What more could she be thinking about? Suddenly ,he wished he remained a fly on the wall in Kakariko village. Impa certainly had her thoughts about their relationship. Had they talked about her assumption further when he left? Was more written in her scrolls about the Hero and the Princess that he missed?

"They aren't very private." He said. It occurred to him that he classified what she said. This time she did break eye contact and he glared at the star-speckled sky. "I mean, I've never found these places particularly comfortable with people snoring right next to me. No walls."

"Yes." Zelda said. "Makes sense."

He shifted down to the ground and began to prop his head on the log they used as a bench. Zelda grabbed his shoulder and clicked her tongue at him. "Here, at least rest on my lap. You'll hurt your neck on that." He paused but sleep pulled at him eagerly. The hazy image of him resting on her lap one hundred years ago surfaced. He sighed. "You used to rub my head."

She smiled and settled on the ground with her legs outstretched. "Sometimes you purred." He blinked at her and she laughed, guiding him toward her. "I'm kidding." Link rested his head in her lap and immediately felt his body start to sink. Her fingers swept his bangs to the side of his face and she traced the spell for sleep across his forehead. He parted his lips to speak to her but he was fading too quickly into darkness.

* * *

"Link! Get up!" Link jolted up from the ground. His heart leapt into his throat; pulse pounding in his ears so hard he thought they start bleeding. Hyrule Castle was before him already bustling with life of the rebuild. Above it the Blood Moon hung full and swollen with a menacing glow. A deep fissure splintered over the surface and then cracked open wide like an egg. Slickly purple malice poured down onto the castle and splattered the walls with a hiss. Screams began to echo from those trapped inside. A giant clawed hand reached out from within the Blood Moon and searched for purchase. Link blindly reached for the Master Sword as a familiar howl shook the earth beneath his feet. But the Master Sword was gone. _Gone!?_ Something told him it had finally abandoned him; tired of his failure to fulfill his destiny.

"Look out!"

He snapped his head in the direction of Zelda's voice to find a Guardian bearing down on him. More terrifying than the first generation, the Guardian felt more animal than machine. Similar to the version of Calamity Ganon he fought in the Castle. A grotesque fusion of purple flesh and metal, an actual piercing blue eyeball bulged at the sight of him. It lifted high above the ground poised on six long legs that clambered toward him. Somewhere from a mouth he could not see the Guardian screeched and instead of a beam of red light training on him, it lifted one of his legs and took aim. The four prongs fused together to form a single spear dripping with malice. It struck him fast, piercing his skin and burrowing deep into his right shoulder. Before he could scream another leg struck him in his thigh. Pain seared throughout his body and he scrambled feebly about his person for anything to fend off the Guardian.

But he had nothing.

It lifted him off the ground and he felt his flesh begin to split under the weight of his body. He let out a gurgled cry and the tasted of blood filled his mouth. Both hands pried at the leg in his shoulder, trying to wriggle himself free from the spear. Horrified, he felt the prongs separate slightly _inside him_ and then spread wide, tearing flesh and eliciting a scream from deep in his throat. The Guardian ripped its legs free without warning and Link fell crashing to the ground. Blood leeched in dark patches through his clothing. Without trying, he knew could not stand.

Zelda appeared before him just as she had done a hundred years ago as the Guardian reared to attack again; her hand with fingers spread high above her head and the brightest light surging from her palm. Of all of the memories that returned to him, amidst the on-going confusion and struggle to find himself, it was this alone he could recall with crystal clarity. The body could never forget the feeling of itself dying. The slow pull atom by atom from the black hole of death once again began at the base of his skull. Breath rattled in the back of his throat unable to descend to his lungs. The pain dulled and instead was replaced with an emptiness he had only known once before. He assumed people were only meant to experience it once. Maybe that was why there were moments after he woke up that he felt a strange hollowness deep instead him.

Bits of his soul that could not be retrieved from death.

Zelda found him and gathered him into her arms. She tilted his head so he could make out her face. He prepared to say goodbye but the sight of her left him horrified. Tears of Malice leaked from her emptied eyes. She called to someone over him and her mouth glowed red. He recognized the resolve in her tone even though he could not register the words. She was going to send him back to the shrine where he would lose more of himself to preserve the physical vessel for the Hero. After all, the Hero did not need really memories. The Master Sword only needed an able body to wield it.

He tried to plead with her not to save him. To just let him die. Time lapsed quickly and suddenly he was being lowered into the pool at the Shrine of Resurrection. He was too weak to even struggle never mind stop them as they held him under. It was thicker than water. Felt alive. Hungry and eager to swallow him once again. When he could no longer hold his breath, he gasped and felt it fill him completely. The instinct to cough and sputter commanded him to do so but there was no air to trigger the act. He could hear Zelda chanting over him.

" _Link... You are the light... our light... that will – in time –shine upon Hyrule once again."_

.

..

.

..

.

" _Link…"_

.

..

.

..

.

"Link!"

A scream crawled out from inside him and thrust him into consciousness. Bright beams of sunlight pierced his vision and Link winced. He scrambled onto all fours and gasped for mouthfuls of air. When he discovered his lungs were clear and working, he feathered his hands over his body and found no wounds. His clothing was damp beneath his fingers but from sweat alone. They were still at the stable. Hyrule Castle was nowhere to be found. Zelda knelt at his side and as her concerned eyes searched his face, he checked to make sure she was human.

Someone called to them from the stable and she kept them away. Link stumbled to his feet in an attempt to put distance between himself, curious eyes and the nightmare.

A dream. It was only a dream. Link pressed his hands against his face and felt them trembling. His entire body shook still slave to the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Panic hiccuped from his chest before he could stop it. He bent over himself and hung his head trying to keep from falling completely into hysterics. He had never been more afraid in his _entire_ life. He was sure of it. It wasn't the threat of a more terrible animal-Guardian or even the nightmarish rebirth of Calamity Ganon. Beasts could always been defeated. Link and Zelda proved that to the world.

It wasn't even the thought of dying.

He was panicking at the thought of surviving.

Another resurrection.

Link heard Zelda come up beside him. He stood up with his back to the stable and stifled a violent sob. Zelda grabbed his face in her hands. "Breathe with me." She emphasized her breath. Link tried to match it and failed, dipping his chin down to muffle another round of cries that racked him. Zelda wrapped her arms around him and buried one hand in his hair, the other sweeping back and forth between his shoulders. " _Shhh,_ breathe Link. Just breathe."

"You can't—" He choked into her shoulder and held onto her. "Don't bring me back. I can't- I can't do it, again." Zelda allowed him a few moments to fall apart in the safety of her arms before she tilted her head and spoke his name softly.

"There will be _nothing_ left-left of me." He continued in a desperate whisper. "If we have to do this again. I won't come back. My body will but…just don't bring me back." A new resolve took hold of him. He needed her word. Link shifted so he could see her. She returned her hands to his face furiously clearing away the tears from his cheeks. "I understand why you had to do it then. But do not bring me back. I'm supposed to be—" He whimpered and dipped his head down. "I'm supposed to be dead! I'm not even sure I'm fully _alive_..." Link gritted his teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter in his mouth. " _Please_."

Finally. It was an answer for both of them to the question she asked during the storm. It was not resentment that lingered within him in the wake of Zelda's decision to place him in the Shrine of Resurrection. It was fear. He was both _enamored_ and _terrified_ of her for what she had done. What she was capable of. The nightmare revealed to him that at its core his destiny said nothing about the quality of life he was owed. He was bound to the Master Sword by duty alone. His lineage programmed him with courage and loyalty that would not falter. He was a Guardian of sorts himself. The mortal part of him was what was weak.

In all truth the Shrine of Resurrection was the device to perfect the Hero.

What was he but a perfect weapon without his memory?

"I will give my life for you." He said fiercely. "Not Hyrule. For you, for Hyrule." Panic once against stirred within him. Wave after wave of it built inside taking more and more of his composure each time out to sea. "That is my choice. It has always been my-my choice. I—"

Zelda silenced him with her lips. The kiss was not gentle like he expected it might be given the way she soothed him to sleep or warmed his hands. It was frantic. There was a _longing_ in the taste of her. His mouth parted with hers and he found his breath. It passed deep and steady between their lips in her brief pause perhaps to drink in the moment as much as he was and then disappeared as she kissed him again. His hands clutched fistfuls of her blouse. She made a tiny sound and cupped his jawline with her fingers.

Link found himself missing her now more than he ever had when she was gone. It was as if he waited a hundred years for this ...but he could not remember completely why. Had this happened before? Their bodies swung together in perfect time to a melody he recognized.

The fierceness waned slowly. He kept his eyes closed for a moment longer to feel her mouth linger over his. The last bit of panic dissolved in his chest. "I will not bring you back." She promised him. Their chests rose and fell together; her breath checking and steadying his back to baseline. Link looked at her finally. She was crying. "But you will not _leave me_ again. This time we will protect each other. And we will win and we will be done with this."


	5. Chapter 5 - Void

_Chapter 5 – Void_

* * *

 _But you will not leave me again._

Her words seemed to echo as they stood still wrapped in one another. There were moments when Link felt pangs of guilt for his long slumber. Sometimes it was triggered suddenly by the feedback of others. Sometimes it surfaced in pensive reflection of returned memories. There were also days he just woke up with it without explanation and it lingered long after he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Nothing about his resurrection was voluntary. He might as well have been an infant in the hands of the Sheikah. Baptized in the waters of the Shrine. But helplessness did not absolve him from culpability and now it struck him on an even deeper level. His death may have fulfilled his pledge to protect the Princess at any cost but the bond he and Zelda forged created a new, stronger creed not detailed in the Chronicles of Time. Instead it was written all over her face in the way she was looked at him. Perennial in the tone of her voice even after one hundred years. A complicated language exclusively mastered and now with it lost to him…

Obsolete.

In his dying he saved her but he also abandoned her. Broke their code. She faced Calamity Ganon not only alone in a physical sense but also with a painful languishing. Whether it was him or her – Link was understanding that then to the other it was like losing a limb.

Like losing memory.

Link waited breathlessly for it all to come back. Wind coaxed the grass into a gentle sway around them. The hastily retreat over the hill from the stable landed Link unknowingly at the mouth of Ash Swamp. Over her shoulder, nestled innocently in a cradle of moss-covered Guardians, he could see the place where he fell.

And still there was nothing.

Zelda's kiss did not set off an avalanche of memories. He could remember how profoundly Revali despised him and not this? Grasping at the ghostly longing in his chest to just – _Goddess, just please_ – remember it all but the more he willed himself, the further away it all seemed. He was answerless. More confused than ever. There was no reference key to help him sort through his feelings. He did not know how to identify what was past and what was present. If this did not bring it all back…would anything be able to? Link was in limbo. Lost and found in her arms at the same time.

Gently, he disengaged from the sweet moment and stumbled past her to into the swamp. "Link, wait." Zelda said weakly behind him when she realized where he was heading. Link pressed forward and gained momentum by pushing off the tombstone of a crumbled building. It did not take long for him to cross to the very spot. He approached and recklessly withdrew the Master Sword from his back, lifting the blade up and thrusting it with all his strength into the earth. "Come on!" He cried through gritted teeth. He remembered what he felt like to die – why could he not remember what if felt like to live? To lo—

"Please." The blade remained dormant. Sheathed in dirt.

Link looked up to find Zelda watching him from a cautious distance. Her arms were wrapped around her as if she was holding herself together. She met his gaze with a look he recognized – the very same he once wore whenever she emerged from hours of prayer at a Spring without reward. The empathy she practiced years ago, well, she certainly found it. It nearly broke him.

"Yes. We loved each other." She said it so he did not have to ask.

* * *

Hino still had not returned to the stable when they eventually made their way back. Link retreated into himself and allowed Zelda to dissolve the curiosity with which the staff regarded them no doubt prompted by his outburst. He was embarrassed for having lost himself to his emotions. Composure all along was a skill that warranted no particular effort. The last thing he needed was a rumor about the instability of the Hero…

The stew he prepared began to shimmer with heat. He lifted the pot away from the flame and set it on a flattened stone between them. Zelda handed him a slice of Tabantha wheat loaf in a silent exchange for her share. He thanked her with a nod and dropped it into his bowl. Hunger eluded him. When did he grow so weak? One nightmare and all falls apart? The bully in his head mocked him. It sounded a lot like Revali. _Cry baby. Some appointed knight_. Was he always this self-conscious or was it a side effect of cheating death? All at once he could feel the eyes those who knew him one hundred years ago.

Urbosa, Mipha,Daruk – they would likely show him understanding. Revali – _ugh_ – Link could practically hear the Rito gloating. King Rhoam. Did the King regret the decision to assign him as Zelda's personal guard? If the Master Sword presented him with another choice, would Link be here? Or would he have perished just another unsuspecting victim at the Castle during Ganon's initial siege.

"You should eat." Her voice carried him back. Bread peeked out of the broth like a fishing bobber. Her bowl was still full as well. He volleyed the suggestion back at her with a single perked eyebrow.

"Link," Zelda sighed and set the bowl down carefully. "It is alright. Really. Like I said before…it was wishful thinking that everything would fall neatly back into place once we sealed Ganon away. It would be unfair of me to hold you– "

"Did we ever," Link cut her off. It was pointless to debate the fairness of it all. From the beginning, as far as he was now concerned, it was all unfair. Charged with a fate to which they did not subscribe likely before they were even born. _Fair._ "…do that? Before."

Her eyes flickered to his mouth. Link found courage, often blindly and bottomless at times, to do many things but this…

"Just once." Zelda replied softly. "At the Spring of Wisdom right before…you know."

Link shut his eyes. He could see them descending the mountain. The air was crisp. Biting. The Champions eagerly waited for them at the entrance. Daruk was munching on a handful of rocks. Link willed his mind to rewind back up the mountain. It was colder. Snow powdered the ground at their feet. He could see her standing waist-deep in the Spring of Wisdom. The white ceremonial gown she wore clung tightly to her skin. He remembered thinking she was so beautiful…And then the memory snapped like rubber band and spend forward to the return of Calamity Ganon. A spiral of smoke and dark malice rising from Hyrule Castle in the distance. The guttural, victorious roar echoing throughout Hyrule like thunder.

Link issued a frustrated growl and let his eyes flutter open. "Maybe the Sheikah Slate…"

Zelda let out a puff of air. "Well, I did not exactly stop to snap a picture of it."

The tension eased as they shared a nervous chuckle that quickly escalated into a chorus of laughter. Simultaneously they scooped up their bowls of soup and began to eat, the occasional chuckle bubbling to the surface between bites. Link felt giddy. He swallowed a bit of soaked bread and added before could stop himself. "Perhaps you should have."

Zelda's eyes flickered down. He immediately regretted it and swore under his breath. _Stop speaking._ Rescinding his words would only make it worse. She pressed her mouth together in a line and rolled her lips side to side with slow motion of her head swaying back and forth. Her voice strained to remain coy. "Well, you don't exactly need a picture now."

Anticipation prickled the length of Link's spine. He sat up straighter and readjusted his grip on the bowl so not to let it drop in shock. Did he really need _all_ his memories to figure this out? He was attracted to her. There was no denying that or the fact that he enjoyed the kiss. Wanted more, even. There was likely a clause somewhere in fine print of the official decree that prohibited any kind of relationship between the Princess and appointed knight but if, as she said, if he loved her before those rules clearly did not matter enough to them. And who would try to stop them now? Impa seemed to relish the idea…

"Excuse me," Link heard the footsteps just before the voice. One hand instinctively dropped to his sword. "I was told you might be looking for me?" Hino approached them with both hands clutched over the shoulder straps of a stuffed travel sack. He must have just gotten back to the stable and did not bother to settle down before seeking them out. Link supposed it was hard to ignore learning _the_ PrincessZelda was requesting your immediate audience.

"Hino, yes. Hello." Zelda set down her food and stood with her hand extended to him. Hino shook it and was caught awkwardly between not wanting to ignore the gesture and attempting to show respect with a bow. "Thank you for finding us so quickly. I believe you've met the Hylian Champion already." Link's jaw went stiff at the formality. He adjusted the sword at his side and nodded.

"Yes, Link! I must confess and apologize, I had no idea at the time." Said Hino. Link scoffed. _Neither did I._

"Well, please, join us. I hope you do not mind if we get straight to the point. We are slightly pressed for time." Zelda began, backpedaling to her spot next to Link. He could tell she was trying to come off as casual as possible so not to ignite a panic they could not contain. "We were hoping you could tell us everything you know about the Blood Moon."

The odd Hylian's eyes lit up. A carrot dangled before a hungry horse. "The Blood Moon! By far my favorite mysterious phenomenon in all of Hyrule. Very little is written about it, you know."

"Yes. Which is why we are speaking to you." Said Zelda.

"Of course. Sadly, there hasn't been a Blood Moon in several weeks. It is difficult to determine a clear pattern to the cycle as it does not follow the lunar schedule. Through my research I've been able to accurately predict several Blood Moons but only on the eve of the night."

"How do you do this?" Zelda shifted at his side. Link was surprised she had not produced a pen and paper for notes.

If Hino had a tail of feathers Link was convinced they would be fanned out behind him at this point. The man was in his glory with a captive audience to a topic people rarely consulted him about voluntarily. Link remembered the first time he met Hino – he practically vomited the information because Link made the mistake of making eye contact.

"There is no scientific process. I just _feel_ it." Zelda shot Link a tiny side-glance. She might not look so dejected if she had the opportunity to meet the eccentric source of their tip. Link tapped his knee against hers. "My blood begins to boil and I can feel the energy building beneath my feet. It is quite thrilling."

"Oh, well. Sounds to be so. Do you have any idea where the Blood Moon comes from? " Zelda pressed.

Hino balked at her. "Forgive me, Princess. I just would've expected _you_ to know the answer to that. I assume you are privy to the legend of the Triforce." He picked up the ladle for their soup and used the handle to draw three small triangles in the dirt. "The Spring of Power. "He drew one and then connected each corner of the base with two more. "The Spring of Courage and the Spring of Wisdom. They are said to be the gateways from which the three Goddesses ascended back to the Sacred Realm after they created this land. They intended nothing but prosperity for Hyrule but alas, they were unable to remain away from the Realm too long and were forced to leave and only watch over as the world they created began to flourish."

"But they were not the only ones to watch. Here, "He drew a circle around the three triangles. "Tell me, how many triangles do you see?

"Five." Zelda quipped bluntly. Hino stuttered and shook his head. " _No._ Four."

"Five." Zelda challenged gently, bending over her knees to point. "The three you drew are obvious and in their joining, they create a fourth in the space. But all together they form one larger triangle. Five."

The fan of feathers wilted. Link smirked and guided a spoonful of soup to his mouth to mask it. Hino tilted his head as if another angle would offer logic to dispute her. He sighed in defeat. "Well, yes, _technically_ it is five but the whole does not count. At least for this. I supposed it's a metaphor for the larger message…anyway, the fourth you spotted is often overlooked. Per legend, even by the Goddesses themselves. Another watched them from the Sacred Realm and became tainted with jealousy for not being included in the birth of Hyrule. The spirit did not have a power to contribute the creation of life as the other three and held intentions that were more…devious."

"But there are only three Springs." Zelda said. "Would there not be a fourth if this legend were true?"

"A Spring is created only when a divine spirit departs Hyrule." Link and Zelda sucked in a collective breath that brought a mischievous smile to Hino's face. "Yes. Void remains."


	6. Chapter 6 - Unfair Fight

_Am I still breathing have I lost that feeling_  
 _Am I made of glass 'cause you see right through me_  
 _I don't know who I am and you're the only one who sees that_  
 _I can't ask these questions that cannot be answered today_

 _-Trapt "Made of Glass"_

* * *

 _Chapter 6 - Unfair Fight_

* * *

It was hard for Link to discern much from the impassioned monologue that followed Hino's introduction to yet another uncharted element to mystery of the Blood Moon. Zelda redirected him several times but he was so palpably desperate to hold a captive audience that he bled the conversation mercilessly long after Link and Zelda stopped asking questions. Zelda needed to walk him back to the stable to finally conclude the interaction

"Holy _Goddess_ ," She said breathlessly upon return to their spot. Zelda plopped down beside Link and pressed her hand flat against her forehead. "He really needs a friend. At least a pet. " The corner of his mouth twitched with a smile. He nodded and continued to smother the fire with his boot while he pondered over all of the information they received. From the look Zelda wore for the entirety of the conversation, he assumed Hino's theory as to how the legend remained omitted from written history was plausible. Void allegedly became trapped in Hyrule as punishment for the sacred spirit's jealously toward the Goddesses of the Triforce. Hino proposed that in addition to this and with the last of the power they were able to lend to Hyrule, the Goddesses erased all evidence of Void's piety. What could be more terrible to a once great spirit polluted with jealousy than being condemned to obscurity? A name unknown to the tongue of the people it now existed among. Stripped of all divinity; for all intents and purposes, an equal.

"So…the Blood Moon is essentially Void's Spring. It is the only way Void can show Hyrule it…remains?" Zelda guessed. It was an intelligent summary of the babble they were presented with. Link wondered if Hino's bizarreness might be a side effect of going against the Goddesses' will. It would certainly be a clever strategy to further condemn Void to mystery. That or Void was incredibly unlucky that the story landed in the lap of such an erratic Hylian.

Zelda pulled out the Sheikah Slate and thumbed through the archives Robbie and Purah loaded into the device when it synced. Apparently it did not occur to either of them that Link needed clear instructions on how to access the library. Either that or they only believed he needed to know how to create bombs and lift metal boxes to accomplish his mission.

A loud _ping!_ suddenly erupted from the device. Zelda jumped and the Sheikah Slate slipped between her fingers. Link shot a hand out and caught it before it could hit the ground. He gingerly tilted the viewing screen so the both of them could inspect it. A tiny blue dot appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen. It pulsed softly and before he could stop himself, he pressed his thumb directly to it. Zelda let out a tiny "oh!" as blue light filled the bottom half of the slate and text began to appear. He felt her lean into his shoulder, her hand cupping the device over his.

 _GREETINGS. IT IS PURAH. I BELIEVE I HAVE DISCOVERED HOW TO SEND MESSAGES BETWEEN THE SHEIKAH SLATE AND GUIDANCE STONE. REPLY IF YOU RECEIVE THIS._

The blue light expanded and pushed the message to the top of the screen. A keypad of characters appeared by their thumbs. Link peered at Zelda before meticulously pressing out characters with his index finger. Once he finished Zelda pressed the only button he did not recognize. Their message dissolved to the right of the screen and then after a few seconds reappeared at the top below Purah's message.

 _Hi._

"This is amazing." Zelda whispered. She inched even closer, memorized by the screen. He half expected her to crawl into his lap….part of him did not mind the thought. Another memory surfaced: They were in Hyrule Field just they had been when she educated him about the Silent Princess but it was winter. Small flakes of white cascaded around them. Link was vaguely aware of the context to the day – escaping the Castle where she had been subject to hours of unanswered prayer and her father. Outside and away from the crowds, she disclosed to him she felt better able to be herself – to act her age. She held her hands out around her so that she could catch the snow in her mittens. An odd flutter of movement caught Link's eye on the ground. He reached for the Master Sword behind his back but Zelda bid him still with her hand pressed firm against his chest. She shook her head and a second later the snow moved again to reveal a trio of small Blupees. A rare sight. They noticed they were being watched and moved to escape which Link found amusing because a sudden ringing only further exposed them. It was like they carried a string of tiny bells. She smiled and lifted up on her tiptoes with her hand still on his chest to watch them disappear. Link pressed his hand to the small of her back to steady her. "This is amazing!" She said again. He agreed with her but at the time it had nothing to do with spirit bunnies.

 _Ping!_ Link dislodged from the memory and focused back on the screen.

 _REALLY? HI? WE HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW FORM OF COMMUNICATION AND ALL YOU HAVE TO OFFER IS '"HI"?_

Zelda giggled at his side. Link grinned and used his index fingers to type – a little faster this time.

 _Yes._

 _IS THIS LINK?_

 _Maybe._

 _GIVE THE SLATE TO ZELDA IMMEDIATELY._

Link relinquished control of the Sheikah Slate to Zelda and watched her type much more speedily with her thumbs. She relayed all the information they learned about Void and then they waited for what felt like forever for a reply. Link pictured the tiny Purah and Symin ripping book after book off the shelves of the tech lab library. Finally, a message appeared demanding they travel to Hateno Village. As they packed up their makeshift camp and readied the horses, Zelda surmised it was actually a suggestion but the fact the text was capitalized made it a harsher read.

They traveled across to the Ash Swamp and stuck to the road. They silently agreed to forfeit the idea of rest despite the dangers that still existed in traveling at night and managed to avoid a Stalnox wandering Camphor Pond just after midnight. The same could not done for a camp of bokoblin between Ginner and Midla Woods. They were all sleeping but their camp was positioned just so that it was better off for Link to eliminate the threat rather than risk stealth and the horses getting spooked. Plus, he owed Kilton a satchel of monster parts for the tip.

With Zelda watching from a distance with the horses, Link crept toward the camp with an arrow notched. He counted at least nine bokoblin and paid particular attention to the positions of the two with dark silver mane. He did not necessarily _enjoy_ killing but there was a certain thrill in an unmatched fight. A wave of goosebumps prickled over his skin and he dispatched three of the creatures in their sleep with his arrows before the rest began to stir. A chorus of confused grunts roused the rest and Link lodged one last arrow into a bomb barrel _positioned near their bonfire_ and blew three more sky-high.

Poor idiots.

It really wasn't a fair fight.

He brandished the Master Sword and charged at the remaining squad. The first bokoblin barely managed a squeal before Link struck it, a clean slice claiming its life from shoulder to hip. He lept over the body as it fell and immediately challenged a second, swinging the blade up over his head and catching it in throat. Warm blood sprayed him in the face and his own began to pound in his ears.

The air around him was electrified. Another bokoblin approached him from the left. Link blocked a spiked club with the Master Sword and kicked the creature square in the chest so it stumbled back and dropped the weapon. Link drove the sword vertically into the monster's belly. It squirmed pathetically into death beneath the blade but instead of pulling the sword free, Link captured the club it dropped and thrust it as hard as he could at the last now fleeing bokoblin. It stumbled to the ground, bloodied and stunned, where it remained until Link claimed its life with the club as well.

Zelda let out a low whistle when she approached. Link grinned at her. He felt more in his element that he had in weeks.

"You are filth-." A half-charred silver bokoblin that must've survived the bomb blast appeared and immediately charged at her. Both of her hands were occupied by the reigns of their horses who disadvantaged her further by rearing up in shock. The pulse in his ears quickened and the familiar instinct to protect her vibrated from his core. He sprang forward and countered the creature by catching the club mid-swing with both hands. He kicked the beast back and proceeded to flatten its head with multiple blows of the club. Link knew the threat was eliminated after the first hit but he could not bring himself to stop. The urge to protect her did not subside. He malfunctioned; launched into survival-mode and with each swing became more frantic. Somewhere from within his fury realized this had been building long before the encounter. The electricity he welcomed deceived him and revealed itself to be a return of the uncontrollable panic that proceeded the nightmare.

He grew manic with fear. The perimeter of his vision blurred. It did not make sense. But nothing made sense. His heart galloped in his chest sending his thoughts into a disorganized frenzy. The bokoblin was dead – dead– _dead_ – but he could not be _completely sure_ because they thought the same of Ganon and yet _here they_ were running on empty; scrambling to pull together a plan based on a cryptic warning and rumors! They would never be safe. That was the real moral to the story. Danger persisted so to keep the Master Sword in play and as long as he had it – as long as he _had_ it–

Link slipped on the slick of bokoblin skull as he scrambled to the Master Sword. He pulled it free from the carcass and lifted it in the air oddly reminiscent of way he did when he first pulled it from the pedestal before the Great Deku Tree. It gleamed down at him and he was complete again. An extension of his body and soul. Comfort and calamity.

He wished the sword had never come to him.

The blade shook in his trembling grip. Link lowered it and quickly covered his eyes with his free hand. _Pull yourself together._ Link employed the slow breathing Zelda used to calm him last time; in through the nose and out through the mouth. Between the third and fourth round he called out to her blindly. "Jus-just give me a second." Acknowledging what occurred threatened to undo him further and he focused intensely on the next set of breaths to remain in control. He needed to calm down. _Just calm down_. It was nothing. The threat was gone, if he could even call it a threat. Bokoblin's were child's play compared to the foes he eliminated and yet it was as if body could no longer settle into grey. No matter the situation, he was either safe or in the gravest danger.

There was no way to estimate how long she waited for him but eventually she started to guide him forward. He removed the hand from his eyes and although his vision returned to normal, his eyes remained tired. The landscape quickly shifted into terrain he recognized; Hateno Village. Dawn was breaking in the distance. Instead of heading directly into town and toward the hill to the Tech Lab, Zelda silently led him and the horses along the outskirts of the village. He figured she was graciously avoiding the crowd before he put together where they were actually heading. He finally sheathed the Master Sword as they passed the dirty grey stone statue on the small incline to the dirt road that lead to his house. Bolson and Karson were thankfully nowhere to be found.

After securing the horses in the small stable with food and water, Zelda circled back to where she left Link and fished the key from a small notch in the slated awning above the front door. She must have seen him purchase it. He hadn't stepped foot in the property for almost two months but it looked like Bolson outfitted the place with a few enhancements. The kitchen table Zelda set her belongings on was new. An ornate wooden chest he assumed was for storage sat in the corner.

He still felt a bit outside of himself when Zelda slowly began to strip him of his gear. Link did not know exactly what overtook him and thus could not figure out how he was supposed to feel. Embarrassed? Angry? Scared? Zelda's stoic expression offered him no clues. She carefully avoided his gaze while she undid the holster across his chest and released the bow, Hylian shield and Master Sword. Each received a home in the mounts installed on the far wall before she returned and loosened the belt containing the quiver of arrows on his hips.

Despite being relieved of his equipment there remained an odd weight to his shoulders; muscles so tight they ached. She took his hand and led him under the stairs to the washroom. He faintly recalled Bolson gushing over how they installed a system that filtered water from the well next to the house to the bathroom through a lever in the wall. He sat down on a stool and with a small bucket filled with water next to them, she stepped between his legs and finally made eye contact.

She tilted her head slightly, a signal for consent. Oh, they had become incredibly good at this silent communication thing. Link knew exactly what she asking him and he was grateful for the warning. He mentally scanned himself from head to toe for the electric panicked feeling and only found fatigue. He did not want to challenge it but the idea his body could go through another malfunction seemed farfetched when the episode had completely depleted him of strength and sanity. He swallowed slowly and nodded. She unthreaded and removed his bracers quickly. Fingers curled along the bottom of the bloodied Champion's Tunic and pulled it up. With a robotic motion, he lifted his arms over his head to make it easier for her. Scars mapped the history of injuries across his bare skin. Some he recognized; others remained a mystery. The only physical evidence left of his life before becoming the Hylian Champion told the stories of pain

At some point she must have added soap to the water. The scent of vanilla and amber pulled him further back into his body. She washed his arms first, moving up and down their lengths respectively before attending to his shoulders and back. The water was cold but his muscles welcomed it and finally relaxed. She guided him to the bucket, slightly bent over himself and used a small cup to pour water over his head. Her fingers massaged his hair out of the ponytail and she repeated the gesture until the water pouring ran clear of blood and dirt.

Zelda guided him to sit up straight again then disappeared behind him for a moment. He heard water splashing and the creak of the lever asking more of the well. He shut his eyes and rolled his head side to side in stretch. When he reopened them she appeared in front of him with a new bucket and fresh cloth. Was it just him or was she even closer to him this time? His bent legs rested against her hips. She gently wiped his face clean. Breath caught in his chest for a second when her thumb brushed over his upper lip. The skin was tender – a cut he held no memory accruing. Link almost laughed. _Add it to the list._

The heaviness returned when she finished cleansing his chest and pushed Link forward. He pressed his head against her shoulder and apologized to the Goddesses for cursing the Master Sword. If not for it then he certainly would not have commanded the attention of the Princess. Whether he could remember it or not there was no questioning her virtue. Nothing in her actions suggested she was upset or fearful of him. She touched him gently but with purpose – perhaps trying to take from him some of the anxiety that accompanied whatever complicated trial he was going through.

He lifted a hand to hold the small of her back and willed her to hear him. To heal him. _Forgive me_.

It felt wrong to lie down with so much to do but Zelda did not offer him a choice. After he changed into a pair of clean trousers and undershirt, he found her in the upper level of the house near the bed that suddenly seemed smaller than he remembered. He gestured the he would take the floor but she shook her head and moved to the bed with space for him join her.

He had no recollection of ever sharing a bed with anyone never mind a woman. He climbed into the space beside her and they lay there side by side on their backs. With his eyes on the ceiling, his fingers searched the space beside him until he found her hand. Then, in that moment, the house he bought felt like a home.


	7. Chapter 7 - What Really Matters

_Chapter 7 - What Really Matters_

* * *

 _Ping!_

Link did not realize he fell asleep until the alert of a new message on the Sheikah Slate roused him from complete darkness. One eye opened and adjusted to the light in the room before he squinted and opened the other. The sun was bright and warm even through the curtain. He estimated quickly that he had not been out for long. His head was especially groggy, limbs struggling to crawl free from the dreamless sleep. It was the kind of rest he knew to be pointless. It just seemed to make the fatigue even worse.

He became aware of their hands still intertwined as he continued to wake. Zelda remained asleep, likely lost in a deeper place than he would ever know that enabled her to ignore the noise. They were pretty on par regarding hypervigilance as of late but it seemed old habits — a century old — were difficult for his body to forget. He suspected it was largely in part his training; Link never really felt like he was fully rested. Well except, of course, save for that one time he nearly died.

She was turned on her side facing him with her other arm perched at an angle on the pillow above her head. There was something unmistakably ethereal about her that made the comment about her power dwindling hard for Link to believe. She certainly held power over him. It took all of Link to fight the urge to turn his body to face hers as if that would make her any safer from the threat they continued to grasp very little of. He wondered if the courage he possessed was more to do with her influence than his own merits. He barely knew himself as a Hylian Champion, let alone just a _Hylian_. Was he really as good as she insisted he was? Or was he only the light to shine upon Hyrule because of her? His eyes traced the long line of her body beside him.

Did it really matter?

 _Yes. We loved each other._ If only making sense of that was all they needed to figure out. The reality they were faced with begrudgingly pulled him back into reservation. He sighed deeply and slid his hand out of hers. "Zelda." She stirred and curled in around herself with a lazy groan. If he did not know any better, her hands might be searching for him in her sleep. He spoke her name again before adding context. "I think Purah sent something."

Her eyes fluttered half open and she propped herself up on her elbow. "Right." Still lost in a fog, she blindly searched her side where the Slate typically lived. He spotted it over her shoulder on the bedside table and reached; the instinct to assist her stronger than his ability to process possible, less awkward solutions. She rolled her shoulder so she was lying flat on her back beneath him. The move was obviously to give him more room to lean but it seemed to catch both of them off guard and rendered pause. They were finally growing attuned to one another. Again. A sail to the other's wind. Perhaps that was what made reuniting difficult in the beginning. Their souls yearned to move in tune once again but the lapse of a hundred years prevented immediate harmony. They were not a perfect fit at the start. Link was surprised Zelda did not complete the appointment ceremony by spitting on him. Synchrony developed slowly with time and trust and …well, she said it. _Love_.

Link wondered what it would be like to swim within the crystal blue of the eyes looking up at him before he realized that was exactly what he was doing. He noted the sudden calculated rhythm of her chest rising and falling. It reminded Link of whenever he guided his horse into unfamiliar territory; anxious but loyal to his command. Trusting. She already made known that her feelings for him remained. It dawned on him that she was holding herself back with respect to whatever he was going through. Hoping he would eventually come around, return to her as she had done to him. Subjecting herself to more waiting. She proved she was patient time and time again but the slow burn of more time had begun to weigh on her. He could see it written all over her face. Feel it in the heat of her breath.

Was it enough for her if he had feelings but none he could remember? For a second time since he woke up the question crossed him…Did it really matter?

Link brought the hand reaching for the Slate back and used to balance himself over her. Cautiously, with his eyes seeking and receiving consent from hers, he lowered himself onto her and pressed his forehead against hers similar to the gesture they each shared in their reunion with Impa. The one that stated better than any language could: "there you are". Her eyes closed and she brought both hands up to hold his face.

They stayed together like that for a long moment before the gravity of the message on the Sheikah Slate was too strong to ignore. She retrieved it while he settled back onto his side of the bed.

 _TESTING…TESTING. MY DEVICE SHOWS SUBJECTS ENTERED HANETO VILLAGE SEVERAL HOURS AGO AND THEN STOPPED MOVING. I SUSPECT THE SHEIKAH SLATE OR MY DEVICE MAY HAVE MALFUNCTIONED._

Link did not know there was tracking on the device. The surprise on Zelda's face told him she was not aware either. It felt a little…invasive. She glanced and him and spoke. "Do you think we should reply or just head up there?" Link shrugged. Either way it looked suspicious but perhaps Purah's reverse aging would work in their favor. Besides, Impa already held bold assumptions about their relationship. What was another suspicious Sheikah? Zelda typed quickly.

 _It is working. We stopped to rest. Any updates?_

 _NOTHING MENTIONS VOID IN THE TEXTS ABOUT THE SPRINGS OR SHRINES. I THOUGHT VOID SOUNDED A LOT LIKE A DEMON SO I HAD SYMIN PULL ALL WE HAD ON THEM. IN GERENAL THEY ARE BEINGS OF_ _POOR IMPULSE CONTROL AND TRICKERY._

"Great. _Demons_." Zelda said. Another message appeared on the screen.

 _THESE SPIRITS CANNOT RESISIT A DEAL IF IT MEANS THE ARE GRANTED INSTANT SATISFACTION. THEY ARE NOT LOYAL EVEN TO ONE ANOTHER._

Link sat up slowly and stared hard at the wall across the room while Zelda typed a message back. He traced the route they traveled with his mind's eye; the dirt road remained relatively flat and uncomplicated for a ways until it dipped into a hill. There he remembered passing it on the way in despite the strange stupor. Purah's description beckoned the form of a figure from his memory. Tricky. Deals _._

 _Shall we strike a bargain?_

Link gritted his teeth. "I think I know where we can speak to a demon."

* * *

The horned grey stone statue waited in the shade for them. It remained unmoving and quiet but Link could not shake the feeling it was very much aware of their presence. "It said it was a dealer in life and power, once." He whispered to her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Upset the Goddess so she sealed it away it this statue as punishment."

"You spoke to it?" Zelda lifted the Sheikah Slate and focused the camera on the statue. She did something to move the picture in tight on the statue. She called it "zoom". Bird droppings in various stages of drying littered the top of its head, horns and wings. A tiny click captured the image on the screen and Zelda hurriedly attached it to the screen that held the conversation with Purah. "I'm sending this to Purah." She narrated for him. Link agreed with her silently, making a note to ask her to show him how to use the zoom. All the pictures he took with the Slate during his possession of it were at a distance that made everything look like a blurry cucco.

Link would hardly call their first meeting a conversation. He noticed a little boy wandering alone during one of his visits to the village and casually engaged him. He found that he harbored a natural level of tolerance for children that many his age and even their parents did not. The little boy led him down a neglected pathway to the horned statue he boasted playing with and it did not take long for Link to determine that is was sinister. He returned to the boy and presented him with a handful of rupees for a promise he would never approach the statue again. It sickened him to think about what the clever statue might have stolen from the boy if he continued to play with it.

"Be careful." Link warned as they approached.

A small cloud of dark smoke seethed from the base of the statue when they settled in front of it. The voice that echoed from the statue unsettled Link just as much as he remembered during their first and only interaction. The inflection was off – Link could not determine if everything it said was meant to be a question or a command. "Ahhh...so you've returned to pay me homage? And you have brough _t...another_. " Link narrowed his eyes while it continued on. "I sense the essence of the Goddess Hylia who sealed me within this statue long, long ago. Have you returned to finally free me?"

"It is my hope that in reflection of what ultimately condemned you to this fate and in attempt to further atone for your crimes, you will provide us with the information we seek. " Zelda said. "Only then will I consider releasing you."

"I regret little, Goddess." The statue answered. A tendril of dark smoke curled out toward them like a finger. "But I have grown tired of this prison."

"Then tell us what you know about Void." Zelda said. Her tone was sharp unlike the one with which she spoke to Hino. It reminded Link of her father.

"That is a name I have not heard in a long time, Goddess." It spoke slowly. Link swore the frozen lips of the stone face twitched with a smile. "You will not find it written in any scroll or minstrel song. My kind does not need to keep records."

"A demon spirit. Very powerful. Once. You see, even we demons have gods. I could tell you stories that would make the warm blood flowing through your veins freeze. But…that would do me little good and I suspect you are not in the mood for stories. The one you've heard no doubt begs important..." Was it possible for a voice to look up? "…time sensitive questions."

"Information bears a price, Goddess. I assume the Hero has already told you." Link's hand twitched toward his sword. He knew this was coming. "I am no different than a common merchant. What am I but a target for the birds without this? I can make those who present a worthy offering stronger. Extend their life in times of battle. "

"Where is Void?" Zelda's voice remained firm. "We have rupees."

"I don't want your money. No, not for this. For such a divulgence against my kind, I require an offering of essence. _Prayer,_ if you will. Last we met I made you stronger, Hero. Did I not?"

"You tricked me." Link growled low. He foolishly pressed his hand to the cold stone at the lure of getting closer to the Master Sword and immediately passed out. When he finally woke up in the dirt at the base of the statue he felt completely drained. More tired than tired, it was as if all of the energy was leached from him in way he felt could not be replenished with rest or potion. When he demanded the statue explain what it did to him, it offered to give the energy it stole from him back in exchange for rupees.

"What I took from you I returned and in a new form. You left with the the vigor necessary to wield the Master Sword once again, _Hero_." It said.

"What? So you wish to trade in this essence for information?" Zelda's shoulder pressed against his arm and he moved his hand to rest against the small of her back. The smoke at the bottom of the statue pulsed with an excitable energy.

"Not that particular essence. Your stamina is not enough to warrant my disclosure. For this I require _vitality._ " Link's fingers curled a small fistful of Zelda's shirt to keep her in place and as far away from the statue as possible. He did not trust the hand-like smoke that flexed occasionally in their direction.

"You are asking us to give up our life—" Zelda started but it laughed and cut her off.

"Fa, ha, ha. Not your life, Goddess." It said mockingly. "What good are you to me if you are dead? It should be obvious what I ask in return for the secrets of the Blood Moon." The statue revealed it could convert stamina into a different energy when it returned his to him. It felt similar to when after he unlocked several shrines and stopped to pray as hard as he could to the Goddess statue. She would shower him in the light of her graces and bestow a blessing that filled him with warmth. Inside he felt a strange _expanding_. If anything, his ability to pull the Master Sword free had more to do with that then the credit the statue was giving itself.

He understood exactly what it was asking for.

Link watched as Zelda stiffen her jaw and moved forward. He could not tell if she had put together the puzzle but regardless, he would not let her close enough to try. There was no telling what the statue would do to the human vessel of the Goddess who sealed it. He tightened his grip on her shirt and pulled her back. She let out a gasp but before she could object any further, he stepped in front of her and approached the statue. From his side he retrieved the short Gerudo Scimitar and ran the sharp blade across his palm. He heard Zelda begin to protest from behind him and extended his hand quickly, the wound already filled with blood pressed flat against the top of the statue.

" _Ah_ …" The statue hissed delightfully. Link immediately felt his knees buckle but his hand was stuck to the statue and forced him to remain upward in a clumsy genuflect. Instead of an invigorating expanding, there was a terrible _contraction_ deep inside him. Energy drained from every limb toward the connection. His shoulders hitched and he let out a muffled cry, fighting to keep his eyes from rolling back into blackout.

"Link!" He anchored himself to Zelda's voiced and remained conscious. The magnesis that held him in place finally released and he stepped back, cradling his hand against his chest. He heaved desperate breaths, filling his lungs with air. Zelda was at his side and he used his body to usher her back away from the statue. The black smoke formed into small vibrating spikes that danced at the statue's feet.

"Yes _."_ It said. "Thank you for your homage, _Hero._ And now my half of the bargain." _Unable to resist a deal._ Link glared. "You wish to learn where Void rests within Hyrule but what you request you already know."

"Then remind us." Zelda said as she tucked herself under Link's arm to support his weight. He had not realized he'd begun to sink against her.

" _Why_ do you think Calamity Ganon chose _Hyrule Castle of all places_ as the point for his return a hundred years ago? Sure, it was relatively central to the land he wished to rule and it enabled him to murder the bulk of Hyrule's political leaders. But that was no easy feat. He lost _centuries_ slowly building strength beneath the surface to be able to take the castle. Seeped into the walls that surrounded you as you slept. Your mother and your mother's mother before her. Spied on the most private conversations, unearthed your strategy to stop him and _turned it against you._ Yes, it was very, very clever of him but he did not need to take Hyrule Castle. It was a move that nearly cost him everything more than once."

"So why would he risk it all for that location?" The spirit was clearly enjoying this. Link watched the smoke surrounding it vibrate with the echo of the voice. At first Link took the spirit to be mocking them. The thought to set a bomb with the Sheikah Slate to shut it up crossed his mind especially when he realized how painful this was probably for Zelda to hear. He knew how profoundly guilty she felt for being unable to stop Calamity Ganon's return. But the spirit was telling them this for a reason. Was it…was it implying that…

"Hyrule Castle." Zelda breathed the name of her former home. Somewhere behind the stone face Link felt a dark grin form.

"You've never heard the story of how it came to be built? No? Because _you will not find it written in any scroll or minstrel song_." It repeated the phrase in a triumphant tone. "Hyrule Castle was built by the Goddess to hide Void. A cage to contain a spirit that would bring destruction to the world it hated so. That is why Calamity Ganon chose the castle. He was trying to free Void and harness the destructive power. _Void's Malice._ " Link pictured the sickly purple masses that infected pockets of Hyrule.

"Void is somewhere inside Hyrule Castle?" Zelda gasped, shuffling slightly under Link's body weight. He tried to help her by balancing himself on his right leg, which felt somewhat stronger than his left at this point.

"A darkness that does not sleep calls the spirit of the Goddess. Have you not heard while you slept safe in your tower? Where you even listening? Fa, ha, ha. I have shared much more than your offering equals. A deal is a _deal._ Goddess. I am an old spirit. I know many things. Perhaps I can help you further once I am freed from this stone."

Zelda turned to look at Link. His vision was finally starting to clear. Her eyes were wide. "Old spirit." Link nodded in understanding and forced himself to stand, still clutching his hand against his chest. He could feel a patch of warmth forming against his skin through his tunic. It would need to be stitched before they made for the Deku Tree.

"Set you free?" Zelda quipped with a dark tone Link had never heard her use. Not even when addressing Calamity Ganon. Was this the Goddess Hylia? "It was my oversight that has prevent you from contrition for the crimes you were punished for. _Forgive me, spirit_. I will seal you further within this statue such that no further _bargains_ shall tempt you."

"Wha-No!" The smoke quivered. "Goddess, I beg you! I will help you!"

Zelda held up her hand and the bright light that she used to seal Ganon, to save Link from the Guardians one hundred years ago, shot like a beam into the center of the statue. With a single resonating heartbeat the dark smoke evaporated into nothing and the voice was gone.

"Are you OK?" Zelda turned to face him and peeled his hand away from his chest. The wound was deeper than he remembered. The neat cut by the Gerudo blade was jagged at the ends. The spirit must have split his flesh more.

"We need to clean this." She said. Her fingers reached to hold the side of his face and he moved away from her quickly. All he could think about was how far the Lost Woods were from Haneto. It meant another night. Another opportunity for the Blood Moon to appear. They needed to leave immediately.

"We can't waste any more time!" He was surprised that his voice came out in a growl. It was the type of anger brought on by pain. He could see she recognized that before he turned his eyes away form her in shame. She was right, of course, but reaching for him the way she did only made him want to stay. To ignore the _ping!_ Of Purah's messages. It begged him to surrender himself to her. Lie side by side in his bed and forget what need to be done in favor of their own desires.

They were not permitted to be selfish.

Not one hundred years ago.

Not now.

How they felt, what they wanted. It did not matter.

"We-we need to leave. As soon as possible. We can message Purah all we know on the way." He avoided her eyes and started quickly up the hill to his house.

The wind carried a defeated whisper from behind him to his ears. "I did not think it was a waste."


	8. Chapter 8 - Can't Go Back

_Chapter 8 - Can't Go Back_

* * *

In the end Zelda did treat the wound before they left for the Lost Woods and she did so in complete silence. A painful, forced quiet lingered heavy between them like humid summer air. He was starting to understand why some people grew frustrated with him.

They avoided each other's gaze by focusing on the careful stitching that pulled his hand back together. The wound cut long across the width of his palm. _Heart line._ Somewhere in the library of lost memories he recalled one of himself humoring a merchant's offer to read his fortune while at the Kara Kara Bazaar. Link always felt outside himself whenever a memory returned to him. At first he thought it was because of Zelda's powers and her leaving them behind for him to shake loose but the viewpoint remained the same even after all the memories deemed necessary returned to him to face Calamity Ganon.

It was similar to when he panicked after the bokoblin fight. Link knew it was his memory but the way it returned to him was never through his eyes. They always returned in a way that allowed him to see himself. A nameless stranger who stood just off in the distance watching his life unfold, end, and struggle back into being.

Zelda was nowhere to be found and he was not wearing the Champion's Tunic in the memory so Link assumed it was before becoming the appointed knight. The fortuneteller was vague and dramatic at the same time, clearly suited for a romance-eager Gerudo. Link wondered what the scar ultimately left behind would tell him now.

The Princess and Purah messaged back and forth while Link packed. Purah did not object to them leaving without stopping at the lab which only made Link more anxious to reach the Great Deku Tree. If six year old Purah, the very same who insisted he proclaim _SNAP!_ before updating the Sheikah Runes, felt pressured by time…that surely meant they were running out of it. It was only in a summary of their conversation that Zelda spoke. Robbie figured out how to program Cherry to send and receive messages as well, connecting the two Ancient Tech Labs. Link suspected Purah only allowed this because the messages were text. The researcher, he learned through snooping, remained quite embarrassed over her failed aging rune experiment.

Neither Sheikah had much more to offer on Void but both agreed it was imperative they all needed to be able to communicate efficiently. Purah took on the task of building a device for Impa. Robbie was planning to hack the Divine Beasts main terminals to allow not only messages but also monitoring of their systems in hopes of preventing any future attempts to corrupt the machinery. He had a long-winded theory about being able to use the remaining Guardians as _beacons_ to propel the signal all across Hyrule. Link held his tongue despite his strong objection to using the Guardians for anything other than moss growth.

They left the village just before nightfall and rode separate horses for the first time since Mipha's warning. Their fight – could he call it that? – did not cause his instinct to protect her to waiver but it did allow him to recapture some of the initial distance he had held in the past. It felt very much like the beginning of their time together; her in the lead with him just a few paces behind.

Another overcast night shielded the sky for the majority of the time they rode. Slivers of pale light occasionally taunted them through the dark clouds. The glimmers caught Zelda and rendered her silver. His eyes traced the illuminated line of her body and he felt a stirring in deep his chest stronger than his will for composure.

No matter the distance they put between one another…there was no going back for him to before.

They made good time and reached Kakariko village again before dawn. Neither one of them proposed sleep but the horses were spent. Link offered quiet praise into their muzzles while they boarded them for much deserved rest. Zelda updated Impa who regarded them both with worried eyes. Link avoided the mirror but could guess what it might look like. Bandaged and pale from blood loss. Limbs heavy with sleep deprivation. Visage rendered sickly with the trepidation of what was to come. Zelda promised Impa that they would try to rest when they reached the Wetland Stable where they planned to pick up fresh horses to ride the rest of the way to the Lost Woods. Everyone in the room knew she was lying. Impa silently pushed some extra stamina potions into his hand as he readied to leave.

The Sahasra Slope was difficult to traverse on tired feet. Link wished he had the time to teach Zelda how to shield surf. He almost suggested it when he remembered they still weren't speaking to one another.

A small group of bokoblin would have been no match for his blade but he was frankly just not in the mood to test whether or not his mind could handle another panic attack. He created a sphere-shaped bomb with the Sheikah Slate, rolled it between their feet and blew them sky high.

He could feel Zelda holding back questions. How long were they going to do this? He silently showed her how to access the bomb Runes for a lone Moblin near the Millennio Sandbar. A shower of guts rained down on the water's surface as food for the fish swimming there. She let out a bemused _hmph!_ and buried her nose in the Slate as they continued forward. In the river they paralleled, pillars of ice shot up with more and more precision. Link hid his smile and remained a few steps behind her.

With two well-rested horses from the Wetland Stable they were able to reach the Woodland Stable at the base of Death Mountain and Minshi Woods by midday. They boarded the horses. On the western horizon he could make out the peaks of Hyrule Castle. Zelda took the space beside him and together with the warmth of Death Mountain on their backs they watched for any signs of disturbance.

The sight of the castle seemed to ease the tension between them. Link taught Zelda the way some Gerudo enjoyed _Noble Pursuit_ when she soured at the sight of another stamina he approached the bar of the Noble Canteen during the day, Furosa always announced ceremoniously that he was _too young_ to have anything other than water. And then she'd made a show of pouring water before switching the glass for the famous Gerudo drink with a wink. It was amazing what a little bit of ice could forgive.

After practicing empty handed a few times, they tapped their potion glasses together, crossed their arms at the elbow and quickly downed the potion in one gulp. Zelda nearly knocked him in the chin she raised her glass so enthusiastically. They laughed with their free palms finding purchase on the other's shoulder for balance. Although keeping distance from her felt safer to him, there was no denying he never felt more alive than in their closeness. Before he could stop himself, he slid his hand up to hold the side of her face and smoothed her skin with his thumb. Her laughter died quickly and she tilted into his palm, cupping his hand with hers.

A chorus of cheers welcomed them when they finally emerged from the Lost Forest. The innocent joy of the Korok was infectious. Link dropped the torch just as a trio of them jumped into his arms. Several more hugged his legs and giggled as he stomped out the flames. Zelda bubbled with laughter at his side. The spirit children regarded her with a little more grace, bowing or raising any twig, leaf or branch in celebration.

"Master Link! Did you capture me a Blupee, yet?"

"Master Link! Can you show me the Ice Rod, again?"

"We smell seeds! Did you find more of our friends?"

Zelda thankfully appeased their tiny questions and freed Link from the barrage of embraces with the warmth of her own hugs. Peeks even came back for seconds.

When they finally reached the Deku Tree Link knelt to press his hand against the pedestal of the Master Sword. Again, he silently apologized for forsaking the blade during his moment of weakness. He felt the blade glow behind him and knew he was forgiven. The bark of the ancient tree, at first glance, always looked like any other in the forest. But then…a trick of the eye that never ceased to amaze him! A nose, two great eyes and a mouth stretched wide in a smile. The tree bent over them. "Princess…it is lovely it is to hear your laughter once again."

"Great Deku Tree." Zelda said. "It has been a long time."

"A hundred years is but an afternoon snooze to me." The tree laughed. "I often have to remind myself time passes differently for the rest of Hyrule." Link felt the eyes of the tree turn to him. "You look like you recognize me more now, Hero?"

Link flickered his eyes from the pedestal to the Deku Tree and nodded. Thankfully, there did not seem to be much more for Link to remember from his past about the Deku Tree. Of all the people and creatures he came across in Hyrule, the Korok never make him feel guilty or ashamed for his fall one hundred years ago. Each and every one was excited to be in his presence exactly in the moment that was shared between them. No past or future. Just the joy of being lost and found again.

"The wind tells me your troubles are not over." The tree continued. "No, just beginning unfortunately, my Princess. Rebuilding a world can be just as difficult as saving it."

Link considered the tree while Zelda explained why they were there. If only their problems were about rebuilding Hyrule. It did not appear to be much trouble for Zelda after the defeat of Calamity Ganon. Almost immediately, she was able to appease the races and appointed the pilots of the Divine Beasts. The knowledge base she worked hard all those years ago through her natural curiosity and endless research was a strong foundation for leadership. She understood the pride of the Rito. Spoke the language of comradery with the Gerudo and Goron. Honored the traditions of the Zora. Her biggest challenge, as far as Link could gather, was reunited the scattered Hylians.

"Void." The Deku Tree repeated the name. A few Korok hid behind its branches. "That is a name I have not heard since I was a sapling. Many, _many_ years ago. The horned statue told the truth. According to legend, Void was a spirit banished from Sacred Realm for jealousy. Greed. This twisted it from a spirit into a demon. But the story was told eons ago as a fable. Merely told as a lesson from the Great Tree before me."

"Mipha and the horned statue say Void remains in Hyrule. And that Ganon tried to use its power when he captured the castle." Zelda said.

"If that were true, or rather if he had been successful, Hyrule would have been lost." The Deku Tree proclaimed. Link shivered. "I would suspect _Void_ used _Calamity Ganon_ to regain some of its power which is why we had the Blood Moons. Spirits – Goddesses, demons – they seek out those similar to their core energies. That is why you feel most powerful by the Spring of Wisdom, Princess. And you, Link, the Spring of Courage. Calamity Ganon, Ganondorf, The Demon Thief…he has held many names over time, has always been drawn to the Spring of Power. That is why it was very unexpected that he returned with Hyrule Castle as his base. Your father was focused on the Spring of Power for many years after you received the fortune of Calamity Ganon's return which is why I think Ganon was able to best him and his army when he did return."

"It would appear Calamity Ganon must have acted as a source of energy for Void to emerge into being once again." The tree said. Link and Zelda glanced at one another.

"But if we sealed Calamity Ganon…" Zelda pressed her lips together. They kept returning to that central point. Had they not done all they needed? Why the warning?

"If this is true and Void was awakened….You took away its power source. Princess, do you recall how distraught you were when you could not unlock your powers? Imagine if you lost them now. Would you not do all you could to unlock them again?"

Link kept his eyes on her. After they defeated Calamity Ganon she told him her power was weaker but that she was at peace with it. That was before they knew there was still a threat looming beneath the Castle. Zelda's eyes were wide and focused on her hands where the glowing light poured from to save him from the Guardians and seal Ganon. Link shifted his hand back and found comfort in the Master Sword's hilt between his fingers.

She glanced up at him suddenly and he knew they shared the same thought. What would it look like if they were _normal_? Her royal lineage was gone. She was the end of the line without children. Hyrule thankfully remained loyal to her but the Hylians remained peacefully splintered. And knowing what they now knew of Hyrule Castle, would anyone return? If they were not the Princess and the Hero, what would they become in this new Hyrule? Would they really be able to exist as anything else? Link often questioned since his resurrection why the sword had chosen him and what his life would've been if it never did.

The truth was despite their burdens; he and Zelda would never know any other fate. And now that they realized it…to go back…

"I think the most important question is not _why_ you were warned, Princess. It is the question of what you two will do when you find Void. The question of 'how?'. You can defeat a monster… How do you destroy a demon spirit?"

"That's the joke, right." Zelda said, her voice breaking with a mixture of exhaustion and frustration he knew all to well. Link reached for her but she shrugged his hand away. "T-the great never-ending story of Hyrule. We fight. Hyrule enters a period of calm. Evil seethes back into the world and festers until we rise to face it again. Over and over and over. I feel the weight of those before me who have carried this curse. _It is immemorial."_ Link could not believe she was speaking to the Deku Tree with such distain. In the same breath, he could not blame her. "You cannot _destroy_ a spirit. It, like Ganon, is just going to find a way to come back."


	9. Chapter 9 - More

_Notes: Because I have NO self-control. Please note there is subject matter of the mature warning in this chapter! Suggested song for this chapter: "Arsonist's Lullabye" – Hozier. Anyone else have songs they listen to on repeat when they are writing? I could not shut this song off while I was writing this chapter and figured that meant I should share it with you. Hozier's humming during the bridge(starts around 2:00)…my god_

 _Chapter 9 - More_

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Link volleyed a look between Zelda and the Great Deku Tree. It was difficult to read the expression buried within the bark but the air felt suddenly…sad. Zelda only seemed to grow angrier as the tree tried to offer a positive spin on their fate. Their respective curses were part of a _destiny essential to the rebirth of peace_. Fancy jargon that might have sufficed if this were the first time they had been called to save Hyrule. But the pitch sounded weathered. Link wondered how many times the Deku Tree needed to rally the Princess and the Hero. Wondered if this was the first time it needed to be done twice for the same…. _set._

The Deku Tree gave up the campaign eventually. Regardless of their resentments, in the end, it knew just as well as he and Zelda did that they would fight. Courage…Wisdom...these things could not be forgotten. Ignored.

The Deku Tree insisted they sleep. "Fatigue smells terrible." It joked. Link could tell Zelda did not want to stay in Korok Forest but the exits mysteriously disappeared behind thick branches when they searched for them.

The sky was hidden as well. When Link asked whether it was day or night, the Deku Tree teased, "You are tired, are you not? Let time not be the deciding factor in your rest when you so desperately need it." When Zelda turned on her heel and stormed away, the tree added to him. "I will watch the skies for you."

Link followed close behind her as she paced restlessly around the forest. It took longer than he anticipated but she gradually slowed and resigned to the fact they would not be leaving right away. Hestu eagerly welcomed a bundle of Korok seeds for his maracas, only the resulting song and dance able to bring the smile back to Zelda's lips, albeit briefly. In exchange, Hestu showed Link yet another way to maneuver his supplies such that it allowed him to mysteriously hold more without added weight.

Zelda inspected the change curiously, rambling off a list of various theories to explain the phenomenon. None of which made much sense to him. That was the major difference between them. Zelda sought to understand everything, nearly to a fault. She inspected and hypothesized. If given the chance he learned – or rather re-learned- she would experiment and check every single feasible outcome. Link only explored long enough to make sure whatever it was worked, possessed about a _fifty_ percent chance of killing him, and then figured out how he could use it to propel him forward.

The tiny Korok named Kula approached them. "Princess Zelda…is there something you are missing?" It asked sheepishly. Zelda glanced at Link, puzzled, and then returned her attention back to the forest spirit.

"I do not know, little one. Am I?" She said.

"Oh, yes! I think so! Ha-ha!" Kula quipped and began to hop backwards, beckoning they follow with both hands. After what Link assumed to be a playful, boastful detour around the western part of the forest, they rounded a large tree to find Peeks with the Bow of Light. Link grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. _Sneaky little spirits._

Zelda gasped. "What? How did you? I thought it was lost." Link could not explain what happened to the bow during the battle with Calamity Ganon. One minute he was holding it, watching Zelda emerge and blow Ganon into white oblivion, and then next…when the light disappeared, the bow was gone. He, so enthralled at the sight of Zelda, did not even notice it was missing until much later.

"Silly! What is lost can always be found in the Lost Woods!" Peeks cheered. Zelda knelt down and retrieved the golden bow and arrows. She immediately turned to hand it to Link.

"Yib-ya! This is your weapon, Princess Zelda." Kula explained. Peeks, now free of the bow, wobbled over and wrapped a hug around Link's shin. "Master Link can only use it temporarily. It belongs to you!"

Zelda considered the bow before him and a memory surfaced out of the dark.

Link watched safely from afar - largely at her insistence - during the very beginning of his appointment _._ Under the cover of twilight, he discovered her practicing in the gardens behind the castle with an ornate bow and blue-feathered arrows Revali no doubt snuck her from Rito Village. When she turned fifteen, her father forbid her from any practice other than prayer but naturally, Zelda seemed drawn to anything her father was against. Later, in a different time connected to the same memory, she told Link she knew he had been watching her that night and was grateful he did not tell the King. She did not fantasize about being a warrior. "I'm am unequivocally a scholar." She proclaimed. She practiced only because she hoped it might be a way to unlock her powers. Her mother, she confided in him, once told her an innocent bedtime story about a Princess of Hylia who was a skilled bowman that fought Ganon _along side_ the Hero.

Hestu presented her with a harness that fit her perfectly and promised to expand her inventory in exchange for Korok seeds. Zelda was kind but Link could tell there was something off. He did not need to pry much when they were finally alone in the hollow of a perimeter forest tree.

"Isn't it obvious?" Zelda said, pulling the harness off. She set it and the bow down beside her gently. "Rest, weapons…they know what is coming. " She sighed and attempted to look at the sky, a gesture that had become second nature to them. She sighed when all she found were leaves and branches. The Korok, at the Deku Tree's direct order, promised to leave them in peace. Apparently that peace did not include view of the sky. "They are preparing us for another fight."

Link supposed it did not faze him because people had been pushing weapons and battles on him from the moment he woke up. "It is hard to imagine another way this will end." He said cautiously. Zelda nodded and hung her head. It was strange because much of what she said to the Deku Tree was a summary of what he struggled with but having her voice it compelled him to hope. It was as if they seesawed and he was scrambling to heavy himself someway so she could once again be propelled back up to the light. But their fates read dismal. Strip away the mystical weapons and the ineluctable _favor_ of the Goddess; the boy with a sword, the girl with a cursed named. Both chosen to save the world from a terrible evil that never really left.

It was Zelda who could turn it all on its side and find the silver lining. Or at least…the edge that was the least sharp. Link regarded her for a long moment as he searched for the right words to say. She looked weary but pleasantly… _normal._ Her pale skin was smudged with dirt. She'd long abandoned the formal dual plaits and began capturing the whole of her long blonde hair in a more practical single tail high on her head. The impractical white gown replaced with a fitted Hylian tunic and trousers from Hateno Villiage.

She was the most beautiful he could ever remember seeing her.

"Where do you want to live?" Link asked her. He mimicked her and slowly began to strip off the layers of harnesses that crisscrossed his chest and waist.

"Hm?" She furrowed her brows at him and then heaved a sigh, pressing her hand to the side of her face. She swept it along the curve of her cheek, covered her mouth and then wiped the speech free. Link could not help but notice how her fingers tugged at her bottom lip. "I don't know. To be honest, Hyrule Castle never felt like home, if that makes any sense. Knowing what we know now, maybe that was all because of Void." She settled back against the curve of the hollowed tree, fluffing the blanket that Kula provided them beneath her. With a much softer tone, "Another lifetime ago, I might have said Gerudo Town."

"You miss Urbosa." Link freed himself of Master Sword and set it beside him so it was still within reach. It was not until he found her face again that he realized he still lacked context to the grief that would likely be shared between them at the mention of the fallen Gerudo Champion. Gracious as ever, she did not seem to hold it against him.

"You know what I miss most?" She said, blinking furiously in an attempt to keep her composure. "Her laughter. You know, she had the most amazing laugh. Deep and loud. _Unabashed_. She once laughed in my father's face and he _actually_ smiled. Great _King_ Rhoam Bosphoramus. She defused the tension immediately. I think it might have been out of fear she could break his arm like a twig if she really wanted to but her presence, that laughter, saved me a lecture many few times. Or delayed them, at least."

"I-I wished I remembered more about her." Link said.

Zelda's eyes were wet. "Yes, well. Me too." She raised her shoulders up to her ears and dropped them. "What about you? Mr. Adventure. Where do you want to live?"

The words demanded to be spoken. He was helpless to stop it. "With you." He wished she would reach out and take his hand in hers or that his infamous courage would manifest and allow him to hold something other than a sword. When nearly rescued him, he cleared his throat and fell on humor. "So if you decide Gerudo Town, it is going to make things a little difficult for me."

Zelda laughed, very reminiscent of what Urbosa's description, and shook her head. "I don't know, I think you managed just fine from what I saw."

Link rolled his eyes at her. "It breathes quite well."

"Hm. You make a very beautiful, _Vai._ " She leaned her shoulder into his with a playful push.

Link clenched his jaw and allowed himself to sway with the momentum of the nudge. " _Sarqso."_

" _Well!_ The Hylian Champion _cultured_ by his travels." She grabbed the top of his knee with her hand and shook it gently. A bolt of electricity traveled up his leg and he flinched, dropping his leg flat to the ground. Zelda's hand flexed awkwardly in the sudden empty space.

"I didn't mean to-" Link caught her wrist before she could pull away and breathed all the air out of his lungs. The final thread snapped; a complete resolution of his anger toward her in Hateno. Time spent like this and the small moment they shared in his home; it was not a waste. Really, it was all they had. All he had. New memories to fill the imperfections of his reconstruction. Memories that helped him remember why he would miss her. Miss what they had. Want more...

And suddenly he did. Sitting next to her in the too-small base nest of a tree, dirty, exhausted, clueless to the next step - _Oh Goddess –_ did he want more _._ So fiercely his entire body ached. Link whispered what felt like a mantra for them. "I'm trying."

"That is all I can ask for." Those crystal blue eyes locked on his and he was swimming again. She parted her lips and he recognized the same calculated rhythm that captured her breathing when they shared his bed. Was she struggling to read him? Link did not know how to make himself any clearer. Words were not his calling. Action was much easier, forgiving, but he had no reference of what he could do to convey what he was requesting.

Link guided her hand toward him and pressed the tips of her fingers to his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut so to allow himself the luxury of completely drinking in the moment and avoid any jarring embarrassment over whatever expression she might wear. He drew in a breath and dragged his lips the length of her fingers toward her palm and placed a shallow kiss there. The hand holding her wrist slacked and slid blindly up her arm, her shoulder, her neck, until it feathered the soft curve of her face.

"Ask-" He swallowed. "ask me for more."

Link bowed his head some and her fingers moved of their own accord, smoothing into his hair. He slid his hand down from her face and traced the line only previously privately admired from afar down to her hip. She arched toward him and his body mirrored hers. Eyes relaxed but remained downcast so he was able to see the scarcity of free space between them. He sucked in a breath and begged her to eliminate it. The pace was helpful but agonizing. "I…I don't know what I'm doing."

She turned her head, breath warm on his face, and brushed her mouth over his cheek. "More."

Link squeezed his eyes shut again and kissed her. There was little restraint left for them to take it slow. Link could feel her struggling to remain gentle, which only made him fall harder into recklessness. Link dropped his hand from her hip and accidentally connected with her upper thigh. She responded by burying her fingers deeper into his hair. The amazing sensation that crawled from the base of his skull down the length of his spine elicited a rumble deep from his throat. It left him breathless and cursing why he did not kiss her before; why in Hylia's name did he not do this _every second_ of _every damn day_ since they defeated Calamity Ganon.

His fingers moved again and followed the curve of her backside in a gesture that would have most definitely cost him his hand a hundred years ago. He was eternally grateful her father passed on.

The Princess gasped against his lips and thrust both arms around his neck, clumsily spilling halfway into his lap. Their bodies did not act as strangers. He caught her at the highest point on the back of her thigh and lowered his other leg so she could straddle him. The place where she settled shot a jolt straight into his hips and they rocked compulsively against her. Instead of returning to kiss his mouth, Zelda trailed her lips over his jaw and neck. He tilted his head back to oblige her further, a groan sneaking out between his clenched teeth. The noise only seemed to intrigue Zelda further and she dragged her hips into his to draw it out from him again.

The motion left him dizzy the with desire to give her every last bit of the delight that was _more_. He sat up quickly and wrapped his arms around her torso. Her hips danced against his again and he grabbed her backside with both hands. She curved against him and finally offered a moan. This time it was he who saw red at the sound. _That sound._

But the red did not fade with another kiss. It slowly began to grow and fill the space of the tree hollow, making it gradually harder for him breath. She took his hands and guided them under her tunic.

It felt like he was coming alive again. His fingers splayed over her bare skin.

Where was his sword?

Electricity crawled all over his body, all muscles and blood and tissue pulsing with energy.

They were in the Shrine of Resurrection.

 _She was the Shrine of Resurrection._ Beckoning him from the deepest darkness back into the light. Darkness he held no memory of sinking into.

How long was he gone this time?

What did he lose?

What was left?

"Link…" It was just like before. "Oh, Link…"

"Wa-wait. Wait." Link disengaged from her suddenly and sank back against the tree hollow wall. His chest rose and fell too rapidly, even for the moment they were sharing. His entire body was shaking and sheathed in a layer of sickly sweat; all of which felt right not ten seconds prior but now registered foreign and frightening. Zelda did not react or move. _Thank you_. Her stillness helped him find his breath quicker. She remained perched over him, her hands clasped together. "What do you need?"

"A minute. Ju-just a minute." He covered his eyes with one trembling hand and breathed through his nose. The world still glowed red. A chorus of hushed apologies clung to his exhale. He felt her gingerly ease off him. "I'm going to get you some water." He nodded blindly from behind his hand and only after the air grew lighter in the hollow did he let out a string of frustrated curses under his breath. How could panic find him _in that of all_ moments? He was safe! There was not an ounce of danger laced within the situation. He was as far from the Shire of Resurrection as he could be. He wanted her to do everything she was doing. He wanted even more. "What is _wrong_ with me…"

He sat up and adjusted the uncomfortable pressure point in his trousers. His eyes still witness to a world bathed in a dull crimson glow. An odd mixture of sweat and campfire filled his nostrils with another conscious inhale. Great. His sense of smell was haywire as well.

Link shook his head, hoping to knock his brain back into place when his ears caught the sound of frantic footfalls. Zelda breathlessly slid into the opening of the hollow. "Link, we have to go." He blinked at her, registering in a disconnected thought her skin looked darker. Ashen. And she was aglow with flickering red light. He needed more time to calm down. She scooped up her harness and barked at him. "Link, _Get u_ p!" She threw her harness over her shoulder and paused. They realized collectively she did not know how to fasten the Bow of Light to it.

 _GET UP! LOOK OUT!_ Link drew in a breath and dug his fingernails into the dirt beneath him to ground and separate himself from the memory of her voice from the nightmare. The campfire smell intensified. Burned in his chest...

"There is a fire." Zelda cried, holding her hand out to him. "Link, Korok Forest is on fire."


	10. Chapter 10 - Lost Again

_This was a very tough chapter for me to write. Mature warning active, again. I want to thank you all for your patience. Believe me, I would love to update twice weekly all the time...I'm very much learning the story as you are (okay, maybe I have an outline but its /rough/ and has changed a few times as the plot progressed). I work fulltime, my wedding is in a little over two months (eek), and I have a big licensing exam next month (EEK). Work has also been especially rough these past two weeks. All of your comments and kudos have really a highlight to many of my tougher/busy days and helped motivate me. So thank you!_

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 _Chapter 10 - Lost and Found  
_

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Warmth from the cold. Comfort in the dark. The anticipation of a hot meal. Link always like fire.

 _Had._

Grasping her hand tightly, Link emerged from the tree hollow into a bright world of horror and smoke. Zelda frantically spoke at him but he was immediately rendered deaf by a high-pitched bell that sang loud and constant between his ears. He could not feel her hand in his despite the white-knuckle grip. The deepest breath did not fill him with the scent of campfire. He was completely numb to the strange world before them save for the curious bell and his vision which appeared to be, in the absence of the other senses, intensified ten-fold. The red glow that filled his vision was nothing to do with panic, rather a shadow of the massive fire spreading quickly throughout Korok Forest. It jumped from tree to tree before his eyes and ignited the branches over their heads into a canopy of flames. Thick sap blistered from cracks of burning bark. Greenery writhed into dark smoke around him.

Zelda grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him back into reality. Everything returned all at once. Bitterness filled his lungs, forcing him to sputter for clean air. Cries from the spirit children echoed through roar of flames. The same fire that brought him comfort countless times now birthed a heat that licked his face. Untamed. Insatiable.

"Link, please!" Zelda's desperate plea thrust him into action. He tethered the Bow of Light to her harness. She stumbled awkwardly under the weight but there was no time to allow her to adjust. Link threw his own on, strapped his gear in, grabbed her hand, and began to lead them away from the most active pocket of fire.

He coughed and slid the Master Sword into place behind his back to free his other hand. He titled his head in question at her.

"I don't kno-I don't know what happened." Zelda clung to him, ducking to avoid a curl of flame that reached for her. He immediately threw his arm over her shoulders to keep her low. "We have to get out of here. " She sputtered. "We have to get everyone out." Link did not know how many Korok lived in the Forest, how many he found during his journey. Through the growing cloud of smoke, a tiny blackened body fell from the blazing trees like an acorn in the fall. Another followed. And another. Some of them writhed in the dirt, some dead still. If he had not found so many…if he just let them be…

"Master Link!" Hestu rushed toward them. His maracas were gone, arms filled with terrified Korok. Others clung to his shoulders and hovered around his feet. The small tree atop his head was singed black. "The fire! It is everywhere!"

"Where is the closest exit?" Zelda coughed.

"The southern and western exits are all blocked. This way!" Hestu led them away from the dense flames. Link believed he knew his way around the Korok Forest but the world was upside down. Smoke and the intense flicker of flames toyed with his sense of direction. Landmarks disappeared in the hungry blaze. A few more Korok joined them as they ran. He recognized Kula and Tasho despite both emerging from the smoke bathed in ash.

A break from the intense heat came when they spilled into the clearing of the Deku Tree. Link spotted a trembling Peeks clinging to base.

"Master Link! Princess Zelda! We can't leave the Great Deku Tree!" It cried as Link scooped it up with his free hand. Link shot his eyes up and willed the Deku Tree to spring itself up by the massive roots and run with them. But it did not move. Could not. The giant face regarded him for a long moment, branches curling in on themselves to avoid the approaching heat.

"My little friends, you must leave the forest." It said to soothe the cicada sobs of the Korok surrounding them. Link gritted his teeth.

"What happened?" Zelda yelled. "What caused this?"

"It appeared suddenly." The tree said. "I did not spot it behind the clouds until it was too late." Above them the ceiling of branches finally parted to reveal the night sky. A hellish crimson glow from something just beyond their scope tinted the storm rolling overhead. Thick clouds threatened to burst. It looked as if they were filled with blood.

Zelda gasped. "No, it can't…not yet…" Link nearly laughed. It was almost too cyclical to be real. He glanced toward Zelda braced beside him and watched her face change from panic to horror. Her eyes flickered to where they had come and he knew exactly what she was thinking. If what she told him was true, their relationship changed with a kiss on Mount Lanayru just before the return of Calamity Ganon a hundred years ago. Now their moment in the tree...Her eyes found him again and filled with a terrible pain; the kind that transcended tears. It was as if she punched him square in the chest. _We caused this._

The introduction of fresh oxygen baited the inferno within the forest. A feral roar signaled the start of the fire's charge behind them. "Go! Get them out!" The Deku Tree said, quickly adding the two words that were forever bound to him. A yank to the invisible reigns tethered to his courage. " _Save them_."

Words failed Link but not for lack of energy to voice them. He did not know if there was any language in Hyrule that could express the gratitude and sadness he felt surge within him toward the Great Deku Tree. There were parts of him that began to mourn from an ageless place. Many lifetimes and memories lost to him cried out and shook his body with a single, devastated sob. Something told him they had said goodbye before like this and that it had been just as hard. The soul of the Hero. The Spirit Tree. Threads intersecting throughout the endless spiral of Time.

All he could offer was a nod before he turned and began to lead them away, unable to bear witness to the fire he could not stop consume the friend he could not remember. Peeks wailed into his shoulder.

Smoke billowed at their feet despite his haste. The flames were gaining on them. The only way he knew to mark where Korok Forest ended and the Lost Forest began was the disappearance of lush green and thankfully the line was still untouched by the flames at the northern exit. He slowed to allow for Hestu and the collection of Korok to catch up. "This way!" Hestu said, crossing in front of them into the deceitful mist. Link did not dare suggest they venture back to render a torch nor did he relinquish his grip on Zelda's hand. He did not trust the woods just because a Korok was leading them through. They were not governed by the Korok that resided in the forest encased. After retrieving the Master Sword, the second time, The Deku Tree shared with Link the lore. Perhaps it was truly just a reminder…looking back on it now, the Great Spirit did present the information in a way that suggested to Link it was known to him before he entered the Shrine of Resurrection. And the story sounded familiar. This was ancient magic left by children of the forest driven to madness. Korok were not always permitted to leave their home, the Deku Tree informed him darkly. Their fairies did not like that. Link faltered and got lost once the first time he entered the Lost Woods. While suspended in the limbo, he became very aware his return to the world was a _choice_.

The fog loomed in his peripheral, threatening to swallow them over the smallest misstep. They nearly collided with Hestu when he abruptly stopped to change directions. A few of the tiny Korok offered conflicting directions, their voices so rapid it sounded like birds chirping. The majority, including Peeks, just wept loudly. Their collective distress was starting to send him into haywire. His pulse drummed loud in his ears. He did not realize he was crushing Zelda's hand until she yelped in pain.

Link ducked his head in apology, immediately releasing her hand and offering his arm instead. "No." Zelda reached and threaded her hand back into his. "I…"She paused, opening her mouth and closed it once. Twice. It was as if she were grappling with herself, a rarity for her as far as he could remember. "Don't let go." Link thought it curious she did not specify. _-of my hand_. He finished the sentence in his head discovered it did not match the expression she wore. Hestu started off again and Link complied, gripping her hand. There was no time to decipher the meaning.

Their group cautiously but quickly traveled through the invisible path through the Lost Woods. A tiny sliver of relief just started to wedge itself against the tightness in his chest when they passed through a cluster of barren trees and the sky opened up to revealed the source of the inferno. In all its glory, hanging full and swollen with crimson light in the night; The Blood Moon. The fog around them reflected sickly pink. How many times did it plague his journey? It registered as no more than an annoyance to him then. Half the time he ignored it or relished in the extra light when he traveled at night. Hino went nuts with glee. Kilton threw _a fucking_ flash sale. All along it was waiting. Watching. It glared down at Link triumphantly from between the clouds. An all seeing, never-blinking eye.

 _Found you._

Hot panic surged inside him and he instinctively moved to retrieve Master Sword from his back. Peeks whimpered in his free arm reminding him neither hand was free. The Korok crowded on and around Hestu began a perpetual canon of terrified cries, each one feeding the fear that was laced within the next. Pressure built within in the borderless holding pen they were trapped inside. Zelda attempted to calm them but her voice could not pierce the hysteria. Hestu began to pace in place. An odd, restless sort of dance. It reminded Link much of when his horse was startled. When he was most likely to be bucked off…

"Hestu, calm-" Zelda started.

" _Run!"_ Hestu cried and the crowd exploded. Spirit children sprinted in all directions; ahead of them, to the left, right, between his legs. Peeks sprang free from his arm and disappeared in the confusion.

"No!" Zelda stepped forward into the mayhem and Link countered, attempting yanked her back into place at his side but it was too late. The invisible tripwire triggered and fog swirled up in victory around all of them. He never experienced the trickery of the Lost Woods with another person and curled his arms around Zelda desperately. Their world faded into nothing. His body was momentarily suspended; weightless and blind. In the past, this was where the beetle-like laughter would have filled the space but it remained eerily quiet and calm. He could literally feel the energy shifting back and forth around him. Toying with them. What to do, what to do, what to do…

 _The exit. Please._ He thrust his thoughts out around him because he did not know how to speak. _Please. We need to leave. They are dying. Everyone will die._

Suddenly he became aware of the ground under his feet. Zelda's weight filled his arms. He pressed his mouth against her forehead and felt her hands grasped fistfuls of his tunic. Flames garnished every tree he could make out in the blaze. They were transported back to one of the entrances to Korok Forest. He could not tell which one. Unfathomable heat and black smoke filled his lungs, sending him stumbling into the Lost Woods with Zelda at his side. Embers spilled in behind them and Link quickly made for the direction the wind carried them.

There were no Korok in sight but Link could hear them. Distant cries peppered their escape. All Link could do was follow them when the traces of embers in the wind disappeared. They crossed through doorway of a dilapidated stonewall and the fog swallowed them. This time the void was filled with a mixture of Korok crying and chirps of ghostly laughter. Hinox had a proclivity for slowly killing those most unfortunate to be caught. Link spent a long afternoon observing the massive one-beast carefully disassemble and eat a live Bokoblin with the same meticulous detail that Claree weaved fabric into armor. It was possible to _feel_ the lengths to which a task was enjoyed.

The second he felt Zelda's body in his arms again, he ushered them away from the inferno. Exposed hairs on his forearm crinkled into his skin. Again, they wandered frantically into the Lost Woods and within minutes it spit them back out. There was nothing left for him to grab as a torch. The forest was completely engulfed in flames. In the distance, amidst the roar of hungry fire, Link could hear a deep, agonizing howl that shook the earth. Zelda wept loudly beside him. Link backpedaled with her into the Lost Woods.

"Master Lin-Link! Princess!" Hestu appeared at his side from the smoke. The number of Korok with him decreased significantly. The leaf-like mask over his face and the entirety of his left shoulder were bubbled black. Peeks wobbled between them doused in fresh ash. "What do we do?"

 _Save them!_

His body sank with the weight of The Deku Tree's dying plea. Branches offered no clues as to the direction they need to take. Another turn around would feed them directly into the fire. Peeks cried and desperately ran toward him. Link knelt down to scoop up the Korok simply because he did not know what else he could do to protect it. Zelda caught his eye. Tears traced trails down the dirtied skin of her cheeks. Her jaw line was rigid, teeth gritted and stark white against the ting of black smoke that covered her. They were just as helpless as they were a hundred years ago. Just as _useless._ Their friends were dying. They would likely die as well.

Her shoulders rolled back to straighten, a complete counter mirror to his defeated posture. That seesaw again. Resolve was hard to misinterpret when it was so completely genuine. This was the Princess of Hyrule. Incarnate of the Goddess Hylia. The true Hero in whatever version of the _tale_ they were trapped within. He longed to find composure and meet her; stand beside her. With her. Would they ever achieve balance or did the one need to be down for the other to rise? She turned abruptly to face the vastness of the Lost Woods. Her arm lifted slowly and with it the wind picked up around them. The three triangles – _Triforce_ – appeared before her fingers and a sudden gust of cold air swept over him. A brilliant beam of bright light burst from her palm like a canon. _Divine Beas_ t _Vah Zelda._ She obliterated everything in her wake; the trees, the mist, everything bleached in the light and upon fading, a clear path cut completely through the woods to the outside world. As far as his eye could see, it was as if she'd taken a spoon and scooped out the landscape completely. Earth, water, rock. He was reminded of the Dueling Peaks. Did the mountain wrong a decedent of Hylia?

"Woah..." Hestu remarked beside him. Link could not contain a smirk. _Woah, indeed._

Zelda's silhouette, in the faint haze of her power's fading light, crumbled backward. Peeks thankfully scurried onto his shoulders as Link dove forward to catch her before her head collided with earth. He cradled her with both arms. She was surprisingly light. And pale. The tremendous display of power drained more than her energy. His fingers pawed at her cheek to tilt her head toward him and heaved a heavy sigh when her eyes met his. "That was…more than I expected." She exhaled.

He never considered her power something that demanded control.

"Let's go!" Hestu sprinted past him into the clearing, a trail of forest children like eager ducklings behind him. Link pressed her body against him to cushion the turbulence of his stride. He made a mental note to tell her how amazing she was when they got out of this. He did not care how long he needed to struggle to find the right words. He would write it all out first and recite word by word if that was what it took. Maybe he would provide the script to the Zora and suggest they create a monument next to Prince Sidon's stone tablets for her.

She deserved to be remembered.

 _Goddess, help me remember._

They made it about halfway down the pathway when Peeks whispered a soft warning from his shoulder. "Master Link. Please hurry." His stomach dropped faster than if Peeks screamed. He craned his neck back and sure enough, with truest, most dark kind of visual poetry, the mist was rising over the path in a terrible arch. Between attempts to convince Link into gambling rupees, Cloyne once described witnessing an ocean wave cresting high over the cliffs near Lurelin village during a storm. _The water actually howled, traveler. I do not know what spirits or gods you believe in but the ocean is as vengeful as it is alive. It will smile wide before it swallows you._

The fog paused briefly at the apex of Zelda's shortcut. Link swore something inside the mist spotted him and grinned just before crashing down and rushing after them. He tore up dirt launching full speed in the opposite direction. _Protect her_ ; it throbbed in his veins. Crisis demanded he honor his purpose. Three strides and he rushed ahead of Hestu, snapped his head up to see how far there was left to sprint and watched a similar wave completely engulfed the exit, trapping them once again in the Lost Woods. They would all be sent back into the fire.

"I'll try again." He set Zelda down but the fog was too quick. Behind them, Hestu, his flock, and their screams faded into the haze. Link stumbled into Zelda and pushed her toward the other end. The exit folded in on itself with thick mist.

 _Good luck sealing the darkness!_

The silky voice sang in his head, not present as if the Champion was speaking to him, but from a memory that'd long returned. A memory he…forgot? Strangely it was more... like it was _removed_. A weapon resting on one of the mounts of the wall in his Hateno home. Unnecessary. Until now.

He was immediately flanked by growing updraft of cold wind. Tabanthian air swirled under his fingertips, ruffled his bangs, urged him for release. Free-flow. The glider flapped open over his head in his hands and Zelda stepped into him to wrap her arms around his shoulders, likely having witnessed him use the Rito Champion's gift. He was always surprised how much taller she was than him.

Link never glided with another person but a rush of arrogance guided him into a deep bend at the knees. _With proper use of utilization of my superior skills…_

The fog crashed and swallowed the path below them in a wild roar. Gale wind thrust them high into the sky above the Lost Woods. They had a perfect view of Korok Forest now a basin of flame as bright as Death Mountain to their right. The Champion's gift was always difficult to control once released. Air was reckless. Mercurial. They twirled even higher, the gust catching the glider awkwardly so that their bodies jerked. Zelda wrapped her legs around his waist above his quiver of arrows. Something came loose behind his neck. _The Sword!_ He could feel Zelda frantically pawing at whatever it was, her breath desperate and hitched in his ear. His balance frenzied and the wing of the glider slipped out of the updraft. Without Revali's Gale, they were a mass of flesh and bulky weapons too heavy for the small glider. They snatched and suddenly wrenched to the left in a sharp swing. What she was reaching for slipped free.

That was when he heard Peeks yell.

The sound registered like a whistle. Loud and piercing at the start. A long, drawn out fading away. They were descending so rapidly his eyes burned. He could not see through the blur where the Korok had fallen. It did not matter. Fire or fog…Peeks was gone.

Link gripped the glider handles as tightly as he could. Every muscle in his arms and shoulders taunt with effort to steady the fall. Forget finesse. The landing just needed to be survivable. Their conjoined lower bodies swung around and he spread his legs wide to slow the spinning. It was hard to see the ground over Zelda's head but at some point it flashed close and he quickly abandoned the glider and curled in as tight as he could around Zelda. The smell of molted rock and ash overpowered him and for a second Link feared they might be falling into Death Mountain. There was a strange but familiar dry warmth. Bones popped, _reinforced_ inside him. He was as strong as stone and quickly pushed the feeling out so it surrounded the two of them. Another forgotten weapon off the wall in Hateno.

 _Ready to roll!_

They crashed. A terrible crunch of wood and earth and body. For a second the protection around them blinked into nothing and his head cracked against the ground. He drew in a deep, dragon breath and pushed the shield back out around them before they skipped two, three times and then finally settled in dust and dirt.

At first he could not find air. His lungs were frozen in his chest, contracted and sending sharp pain blossoming as he struggled for breath. The blow, or one of them, temporarily paralyzed his diaphragm. _The wind knocked out of you._ Mipha told him that…when they were small. _He had been small_. A kid. Notoriously heedless. One of the reasons she mastered the art of healing. Link sat up and his vision swam. Blindly, he reached for Zelda, patting her down to make sure she was intact. He felt her fingers feather over him as well. "I'm OK, I'm fine, I'm fine." She reassured him. Her touch halted at his temple. She gripped his chin and tilted his head which made Hyrule spin. "You're bleeding" Her voice sounded muffled. "Did you hit your head? You may have -"

The Blood Moon. Pushing her hand away, Link glanced up to the sky. Nothing crimson registered in the dark. Storm clouds split open and began to drop rain on them. On the fire they fought so desperately to escape. He rocked forward to his feet and the earth beneath him shifted. Balance was impossible to find but he still attempted to stand. He eventually needed to take a knee to keep from passing out.

Thick smoke plumped from Korok Forest as rain began to douse the flames. If only it started moments before. A legion of cries echoed around him. He could see tiny charred bodies smoldering.

It started in his gut. Clawing between his lungs, building up the journey of his spine. The volume caught in his throat and filled his veins into thick, straining chords strung up his neck. His entire body trembled and he realized he had not made words since the tree hollow. A moment he wanted to cherish but now made him feel ill. At some point in his advance he drew the Master Sword, a double-handed shaking grip, but it was as useless as he was. Death was an enemy he could not face.

The scream erupted from him. A mixture of grief and fury mixed with the booming crack of thunder. The storm raged overhead as Hyrule mourned with him. Link had no way of knowing how long the scream lasted, a dozen voices echoed inside him – with him. Eventually he crumbled forward into the dirt and surrendered to darkness. Korok Forest. His friends, the Deku Tree. Hope.

It was all gone.

* * *

 _End notes: I'm making stuff up about the Lost Forest and crazy Korok. They remind a lot of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan and if you've read the OG Peter Pan, he was a bit of an a-hole so I thought about what would happen if some of the Korok (or rather Kokiri I'm referencing) were a-holes, too.*shrugs*_


	11. Chapter 11- Pilots of a New Age

" _There are wounds that never show on the body, that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds" –_ _Laurell_ _K. Hamilton_

* * *

 _Chapter 11 - Pilots of a New Age_

* * *

There was no way to gauge how many times he roused from the dreamless sleep that numbed his grief, but every time it happened, Link wished it would stop. Fleeting glimpses of consciousness provided little that willed him to cling to the waking world; the smell of fresh grass. The sound of wings flapping. A voice, concerned. The craning song of heavy metal animating.

The first time he regained enough awareness to register the difference between wake and sleep was on Divine Beast Vah Medoh. Despite a staggering fog, he recognized room to be the corridor with the map terminal. A constellation of pulsing blue wires stretched across the metal ceiling above his head. Someone pushed his left eye wide open with their fingers. Inspected it thoughtfully, like they were peering through a window into his brain. The second they let go he dropped back into nothing.

He was positioned closer to one of the massive round windows on either side of the map room the next time he stirred. He was resting in someone's lap. A cool hand swept his bangs from his face and traced the line of his jaw down to find his pulse. He tilted his head away from the hand and spotted clouds moving through the window. Sitting inside Vah Medoh should be a crime. The best views were from the main terminal or either lift cage between the wings. He wanted to tell that to whoever was with him but he could not figure out how to thread the words together in his head and feed them to his tongue. If only they would pull his eyelid back again and peer inside, maybe they would see what he was thinking. Make sense of the mess. After a few breaths, he concluded they must be inside for protection from the cold air. All his snow gear was back at Hateno.

"...Link."

The sound of his name, spoken firmly, dragged him from yet another unconscious he did not remember slipping into.

"You have to wake up."

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light but he recognized the voice speaking to him and could not decide immediately if she brought him comfort. The last time he woke up to the sound of her voice was in the Shrine of Resurrection but if that were the case, he would likely be blissfully unaware of the events that precluded his slumber. Disjointed flashes of memory came to him. An endless wildfire. The death howl of the Deku Tree. Peeks hugging him tightly in the Lost Woods. Hestu's mask a smear of bubbled bark and sap.

He remained well aware all his friends that lived in Korok Forest were likely dead. Or dying.

They were no longer riding on Divine Beast Vah Medoh. He was lying in a bed. His fingers tapped the mattress beneath him and discovered the indistinguishable plush of down feathers and twig. A Hylian traveler Link met in Rito Village explained the beds were so comfortable because of the "nesting" technique. _Makes you want to crawl back into your shell._ Link concentrated on his next breath, deep through his nostrils, and noted the smell of cedar and snowy air mixed in with something strong...sterile. He glanced at Zelda seated at his bedside. She eyed him carefully. Calculated, checking for things in his eyes, face, pallor—clues to well-being he knew little how to scale. His eyes scanned her and the first thing he noted was the fact she was still covered in ash. Dried trails of clearer skin snaked down the curve of her cheeks. "You sustained a concussion from the fall. I had to stitch the wound on your head while you were out." That explained the odd smell. Medicine.

She turned her head to retrieve something and he spotted the marred flesh of her left ear. Blistered and angry red. Unattended. Link sat up quickly and his body reprimanded him with a wave of nausea. He gagged over himself, the taste of bile and the stamina potion they shared prior to entering the Lost Woods filling his mouth. When was the last time they had actual food?

"You should take it easy." Zelda said halfheartedly which he appreciated as it alluded to how well she knew him.

What an amazing feeling that was…to be _known._

It also made him feel less guilty about ignoring her to swing his legs over the bedside. She ushered an empty basin into his lap. He pressed his chin into his chest and swallowed. It burned all the way down to his belly. Splashed.

When it felt safe to move again, Link reached his hand out and tapped her chin. Zelda tilted the damaged ear away from him. "It's fine. Really. It doesn't even hurt." A small tub of mint green paste sat opened on the nightstand. It reeked so that meant it had to be for healing. Link retrieved it and tapped her chin again. She sighed and took it with both hands. "Yes, okay. _Okay_. Don't fall asleep. I'll be right back."

Link took inventory of himself when she disappeared out of the room. Someone –who was he kidding, it was obviously Zelda – bathed him. He was clean, all evidence of what they escaped erased from his skin. Link could see her neglecting her own care to meticulously wipe away the dirt and sweat in hopes it would gift him comfort. Knowing deep down that after what they witnessed nothing truly could. A pair of painted snowquill trousers and base layer shirt replaced whatever was left of what he'd been wearing in Korok Forest. A thick dressing of bandages up his arm suggested fire kissed him as well. He flexed his fingers.

A tiny pulse commanded his attention from across the room. He spotted The Master Sword resting against the pile of his surviving belongings.

 _Master…_

He pinched his fingers to the bridge of his nose at the echo. Zelda mentioned hearing the spirit of the Sword a hundred years ago so it was about time it called directly to him. But why now? The voice did not startle or surprise him. Oddly, it felt parental…at least what he imagined that to be since he still held no memories of his family to reference. The only semblance he had was left smoldering on the other side of Hyrule.

He awaited the familiar lecture of great destiny and ageless burdens. Words that always stung. The pang of iron to hot metal. Inescapable reinforcement. But a long, lingering pause filled the space between them. Link peeked one eye at the Master Sword.

 _Fret not._

Link scoffed and rose off the bed just as Zelda reentered the room. Her burns were carefully hidden under bandage and hood. She caught him inspecting her and stiffed her jaw. "It's cold. The doublet helps." She gestured to the coat near his bed. The layer of smoke had been hastily washed from her face and hands but he could make out wisps of ashen skin around the collar of the fresh tunic she donned.

"They…"Zelda glanced over her shoulder to the door. "They wanted to meet as soon as you woke up. The pilots. They are all here."

The Sword pulsed, again.

They both glanced at it and then each other.

* * *

Every time Link found himself in Teba's presence, or any Rito for that matter, he could not shake the feeling he was being carefully considered as friend or food. Not one Rito presented as fink as Revali. Kass was beyond charming. Fyson was eager at the opportunity to lend his skill to Hudson and Tarrey Town. The fledglings appeared to relish in Link's presence. It was just difficult to look beyond the razor curve of each matured beak and when he finally did, all of their piercing eyes were painted with shadow that made them look even more predatory. Teba's plumage was particularly menacing.

He was confident and stubborn, but those were descriptions Link could easily assign himself. Unlike Revali, Teba treated Link with respect, recognized his skill and like a true warrior, sought to capitalize on it during his mission to free Divine Beast Vah Medoh. It came as no surprise when it was time to assign the pilots that Teba was selected. He accepted the post on one condition; Tulin would train and co-pilot. Teba surmised Revali's downfall was largely to do with his preference for solidarity. Not an uncommon trait to some species of Rito but Link liked to think _everyone's_ preference was to let Revali alone rather than the reverse. He remembered Urbosa muttering under the breath that _such greatest_ could only be tolerated in small dosages by common folk.

Teba and Tulin were huddled around the map terminal inside Vah Medoh. Elder Kaneli waited beside them. It was impossible to miss being spotted by the Rito Chieftain. His enormous horned eyes were immobile in the sockets such that he needed to turn his entire head to look upon whomever he was considering. He let out an affectionately deep _hoo_ and beckoned them close with one of his massive wings.

"Teba just finished with the instructions Purah sent through the Sheikah Slate." Elder Kaneli said.

"You were able to follow them?" Zelda chuckled, moving beside Tulin to inspect. Link frowned. How long had he been out?

Teba stepped back and handed the slate to Zelda. "Barely." He craned his head and fixed a massive black eye on Link. "Alright, Link?" Link shook the expression from his face and nodded.

"I'll send a message to everyone that we are ready." Zelda said, typing furiously into the slate. Tulin hopped over to Link and pushed his head into his hand. Link smoothed his fingers over the feathers.

"You lost your braid." Tulin said, opening his wings. Link extended his arm and the fledgling lifted into the air with one flap, curling sharp, dark talons around Link's forearm. He was grateful he had the forethought to secure his bracer over the snowquil doublet.

"Papa says you aren't a Rito without a braid." Tulin pulled a lock of hair out of Link's ponytail and began to plait it by his ear.

"I think the lack of feathers are a bigger give away." Teba chuckled.

"Okay, everyone has checked in. All we should have to do is…" Zelda locked the Sheikah Slate into the terminal screen. It twisted until the light shined blue and then locked into place. Five beams projected from the Slate and at their peak in front of them appeared Purah, Robbie, Prince Sidon, Makeela Riju and Yunobo. Or rather, their likeness. Translucent and colored as if doused in blue flame, they flickered in and out of existence like an image reflected in water.

"It worked!" Robbie chimed gleefully. His voice through the reception was muffled but the catacombs of Vah Medoh amplified noise.

"Of course it worked. I'm brilliant." Purah said, throwing up two fingers. "It was only a matter of customizing the camera rune".

Robbie's image balked and squinted at Purah. "Hylia's grace! Purah, is that you? You haven't aged in one hundred years! In fact…it…it is almost as if…"

Purah sputtered and glanced at herself punctiliously. "Wh-hat? Of course it's me! It…er…must be the connection!"

"Link. Hey! Is there anything wrong with my connection, brother?" Yunobo glanced down to poke at his belly.

"I assure you I've hacked the map terminals of each Divine Beast and have Cherry monitoring their functioning. Vah Rudania is fine." Robbie said without breaking his consideration of Purah.

"Hello Link. I see you found your legendary sword." Riju silky voice echoed from behind the Thunder Helm. He suspected Buliara made her wear it to present older to the other pilots. It shifted without her noticing so it looked like she was deep in thought.

"And his Princess!" Prince Sidon clapped his hands together and moved to hug Zelda. Zelda smiled and patted the empty air as his image passed through her.

"It is about time all of us met. Pilots for the new age of Hyrule."Teba said.

Purah's image flickered. "We are working on the shrine's next. Impa is still dark."

"I am building her a _machine—"_ Robbie began to protest but Zelda cut him off.

"With all due respect," She removed her hood, exposing her bandaged ear. "I think it would be best to focus our discussion on the Blood Moon and what happened at Korok Forest."

"Should I play the footage?" Robbie said.

Link broke his inspection on Zelda's wound and cocked his head sharply. There was _footage?_ What the hell was _footage?_ He did not want anything from that night in exsistence. A thousand questions began to run through his mind, fueling a sickening chill that spread over his skin despite the heavy gear. It quickly purveyed the silent room. Zelda eventually nodded and inched closer to Link next to the map terminal. They did not touch, did not hold hands, and oddly it felt more intimate than any moment they'd ever shared.

"I was able to capture this from Vah Rudania." Robbie's image disappeared. A moving picture replaced him, unsteady at first as Rudania's camera focused through the smog of Death Mountain. In the distance a giant glowing orb appeared through the clouds over the peaks of Hyrule Castle. The projection was blue but there was no denying it was a Blood Moon. It lingered in the sky for a moment and there was nothing. Link flashed back to the moment in the tree hollow and how blissfully unaware they had been. Briefly, he could taste the ghost her lips on his. _Fools_. To think they would be allowed…

Movement at the castle. Rudania's camera zoomed and it took another second for the picture to focus again. A great swirling of darkness. Shades of blue and the strain of the zoom make it difficult to decipher the mass until it opened its mouth. A gaping hole from which a foundation of white light spilled high into the sky, illuminating the massive, muscular beast in the smoke.

Calamity Ganon.

A few of the pilots gasped. Tulin cowered at Teba's side. The Rito warrior's feathers ruffled. Link was the only one who stepped forward. Calamity Ganon's movements were off. His beast form was slow and moved like fluid during their battle. There was always a great building of energy before it struck. Calamity Ganon in the picture was disjointed. Jerky. When the head lifted, it craned too far back. Link was not sure what a "connection" issue would look like but there was something wrong with what he was seeing.

"You see it? There." Robbie's voice echoed over the audio of the film. "Around the neck. Something is there…it looks like a binding of some kind. There!"

Zelda came up beside him to inspect. Link could just barely make out what Robbie was referencing in the bluen. A shiny _something_ crisscrossed the body of Calamity Ganon but the image was too far aware to render any detail. Suddenly, Ganon's head cocked back and a foundation of white light shot into the sky. Fire. Calamity's head wrenched down, spewing flames across the landscape. The aim was directly at Death Mountain – at the camera, Vah Rudania – but fell short and landed on Korok Forest instead. Zelda made a small noise next to him and straightened. Her voice was shaky. "Calamity Ganon knew you were watching."

"Something did." Purah corrected her.

"Is it possible this is Void?" Prince Sidon said. Someone must have updated the pilots.

"That is what we suspect." Robbie said.

"Possession is a common practice of demons." Purah added.

"Possession." Yunobo echoed.

"Yes. To forcefully assume physical control of a host." Purah said. "We have no way of knowing _how_ Void managed this as Zelda and Link appeared to defeat and seal Calamity Ganon away but it is the best guess we can make at this point. Calamity Ganon has not appeared since the Blood Moon. And the Blood Moon itself was incredibly brief…All my books indicate possession takes a lot of power to contain the host never mind puppeteer."

"So Void is weak right now." Teba said. Link could not help but eye the beak.

"If this is all true, yes." Purah nodded.

"And if it is false?" Riju said.

"Then we have nothing." Robbie's voice echoed. The camera view swiveled down to the fire quickly spreading over Korok Forest but in the background, Calamity Ganon was disappearing back into the castle. Rapidly, like water in a drain. Link focused hard on that to avoid the details in fire. He was able to breath again when Robbie's image replaced the footage.

"We should attack now."Teba crossed his massive wings over his chest. "With the Divine Beasts, Zelda and Link. Every second we wait is giving this thing a chance to recover."

"I agree." Sidon said, lifting a clawed hand up to form a fist.

Teba smirked. "I like him."

"And where are you proposing we start?" Zelda said. "I grew up in Hyrule Castle and I have no idea where to even begin looking for Void or Calamity Ganon."

"What if we destroy the castle? Riju said.

"The horned statue told us Hyrule Castle is a cage. If we destroy it, we might set Void free in Hyrule." Zelda shook her head.

"We could rebuild the Castle, then? Maybe the fact it has fallen into disarray is contributing to Void's increased presence." Prince Sidon said.

"But that will take time we might not have." Teba said. "Plus, what if Calamity Ganon appears again? Whoever is working on the rebuild will be incinerated." The word was so hard. Final. Saliva began to pool in the back of Link's mouth.

"Void only appears to have been able to emerge with Calamity Ganon." Purah said, adjusting her massive glasses. "It would probably be best to remove that element first. We need to free Calamity Ganon and then seal him properly so Void cannot use him further." Link bristled.

"If the Goddesses banished Void maybe Princess Zelda can use her powers to seal them both. You know, two birds, one stone." Riju sighed. The Ritos immediately tensed and Riju rocked her hip one side. The Thunder Helm bobbled. "It is just an expression."

"A tasteless one." Teba quipped. The space was suddenly stuffy. Without realizing it, Link had slowly backed away from the circle and moved closer to the large circular window. He pressed his fingers behind him and found the icy glass.

"Really? You are the one suggesting we rush into a fight before we have all the facts and you are calling me tasteless?"

"Not _you_." Teba's head jerked to the side to fix an eye directly on Riju's image. "The comment. And what I'm suggesting is we devise a plan that involves _action_ as opposed to waiting around for another Blood Moon."

"I haven't completely mastered Vah Rudania's controls." Yunobo said. Vah Rudania was the most difficult Divine Beast to pilot a hundred years ago. "I do not know how useful I would be in an attack. Just yet."

"I can help with the controls from my lab." Robbie said.

"And monitor the rest of the Divine Beasts?" Purah narrowed her eyes at him.

"Cherry can do that."

"What's a 'cherry'?" Tulin piped from behind Teba's leg.

" _She'_ s my-"Robbie started but Purah cut him off. "Oh, not now with that robot, again."

Everyone began speaking over each other. Revali continued to campaign for action. Urbosa seemed content to challenge him regardless of her official opinion in the matter. Daruk and Robbie debated the effectiveness of co-piloting Vah Rudania while Purah began to ramble hypothesis after hypothesis on how Zelda and Link could address the possession. Mipha watched them all, shaking her head.

Revali, Daruk, Riju, Mipha, Teba, Sidon, Yunobo. Urbosa.

The glass was no longer cool to the touch beneath Link's hand. Zelda glanced over her shoulder at him, wordless and pale. His other hand twitched with the urge to motion for her to join him but he caught himself, crippled by fear if they got too close they might trigger another Blood Moon or summon another terrible foe into existence. Across his back, The Master Sword throbbed with a quickened pulse that matched his own loud between his ears.

Finally Sidon's voice cut through the static. "Hey! _Hey!_ We are arguing over details and forgetting one critical point. Evil falls. Calamity Ganon, Void, fiends. Eventually evil always _falls_ , right? Peace is Hyrule's baseline. It will be restored. The Hero and the Goddess always triumph-"

Link slammed his fist against the window so hard for a second he thought the glass might shatter. The projections flickered in and out of focus. The entire room grew silent, watching him. Anger radiated off his skin like waves of heat on Gerudo sand. He tipped his chin with his thumb and swiped his palms one over the other with an irritable flick. The motion was unexpectedly smooth. And much like any else he could not explain, familiar. He had no idea why he had done it. What he meant to say sat waiting in his brain but when he went to speak again, he just repeated the same motion.

Zelda blinked at him.

Her expression was foreign. An odd mixture of alarm and…sadness? It wasn't until she spoke that he realized she was offering a translation of what exactly was in his head. "It is not that easy." She elaborated further, her tone gaining momentum and edge. "I think it is incredibly _unfair_ to assume we will just _prevail._ Fighting Calamity Ganon nearly destroyed Hyrule. He…" She swallowed. "He defeated five Champions. We did not triumph, we barely managed to _scrape by_."

"Forgive me Princess, I only meant—"

"It is all of you!" Zelda thrust her fists down at her sides. "All of you, _always_. Who are you kidding? You are not ready. Revali, Daruk, Urbosa, Mipha…they all had _years_ with the Divine Beasts and they all died. What if the cycle is broken? The Hero, Hylia's incarnate? The _hope_ of Hyrule. Korok Forest is no more. The resting place of the Master Sword is gone. I have- have no family left." She pushed hair behind her ears several times and then smoothed the front of her tunic. "T-this may be our last chance. It's time to act like it."

* * *

There wasn't much left to be said after Zelda finished. No one seemed to take it personally, in fact, her frustrated outburst appeared to do the opposite. Another tribute to her ability to lead. Purah vowed to continue to document all they could find on demons, possession, and Void. Robbie pledged to expedite the device for Impa in Kakariko Village as well as help Yunobo with his Divine Beast. Everyone agreed Hyrule Castle needed to be monitored and Teba took the first shift with Vah Medoh. Link and Zelda were _commanded_ to rest and recuperate in Rito Village. Riju and Sidon planned to drive their respective Divine Beasts to the battle positions in the next two days to assume their respective watches. Sidon apologized profusely to Zelda and Link before his feed stopped. Zelda, having lost her steam, assured him she understood he only meant it to uplift the group and calm the bickering.

Before he disappeared, he mentioned briefly to Link about the mysterious hand gesturing. Allegedly, Muzu made a comment to the council when Link first arrived Zora's Domain that he could not be the true Hylian Champion because the Champion communicated predominantly with his hands. A rare site for the Zora but it intrigued Lady Mipha so much that she dedicated herself to learning it.

Later, when they were alone in his room, Link opened his palms toward Zelda and tilted his head in question. She sighed and handed him his portion of salmon meuniere. Saki delivered food to them shortly after they returned from Vah Medoh.

"I wondered about that for a while." She said before taking a large bite of nutbread. "Have you lost your voice?"

Link licked his lips. It was markedly more difficult. "No."

She took a swig of water. "Your mother said you were born that way. Did not speak until you were seven. You weren't shy like other mute children which the healers she brought you to found odd." Link glanced down at his hands and something she said to him suddenly made much more sense.

 _You'd actually be quite useless without your hands._

He guessed he could be annoyed she had not told him about any of it but then again, he did not ask. It did not feel right to hold her accountable for chronicling his life. They did not grow up together. "We were only able to visit her one time after you were appointed. She taught me as much as she could to communicate with you." A pause. With restraint, "Mipha helped the most."

His hands moved of their own accord. It was the strangest thing to communicate in a language his body remembered but his brain did not. He asked about his mother.

"It was hard for me to judge her accurately...to be completely honest with you." Zelda said. "People did not exactly act relaxed around me. But I remember she was a tremendous host. And a great cook." Link smiled only because he figured it was the right thing to do. He wanted to feel something outside of the story Zelda was telling but it was just that; a story with no sense of belonging to him.

Link took a bite of the salmon and groaned. Food made everything better. Always. Even if just a little bit for a tiny moment. Zelda laughed and took a bite as well. She sank further into her pillow. "You didn't speak aloud to me for a long time. Mipha said it was a thing of comfort. I dunno, I think it was more. I guess I took it a little personal _she_ was the one to explain it to me."

 _Do you remember-_ His hands started to move but he stopped himself and focused on forcing words into his mouth because he could tell it meant something to her."-what the first thing I said to you was?"

Zelda smiled. It was sad. "You asked if I was hungry."

* * *

 _Notes_ : _I don't know about you guys but I loved the Rito. Kass...my heart! Vah Medoh was the third Divine Beast I went for (I was stuck on Vah Naboris for a little while. Fuggin' Thunderblight Ganon…My poor neighbors probably thought I was murdering someone). It was hard to imagine the fic without some time spent there._

 _I was super excited for this chapter. I had it in my head from the start – because I TOTALLY headcanon Link with selective mutism as result of ingrained learning through the various timelines – that it would be interesting if when he lost memories, he forgot about the mutism/sign language. And the more he regains himself and their power increases (it's why he's able to use the Champion's abilities again and why Zelda's beam in Korok was so powerful…also why the sword is talking...I'll go more into this next chapter), the more he falls back into old coping skills. I also thought it would add fuel to his panic attacks because his body remembers he rarely speaks/signs and when using so much verbal language with Zelda about the nightmare, his body struggles to compute. I am by no means an expert on mutism, sign language or trauma. There is a book on PTSD I read for graduate school "The Body Keeps The Score" that highlights a lot of research on the neuroscience of trauma stress and how trauma survivors frequently pass their stress onto partners/children. I pulled a lot from this to inform my interpretation of this story... And I'm rambling. Sorry. Nerd flag flying high._

 _It's going to pick up from here. My body is ready._

 _Edit/ to clarify any confusion, the sign Link does the first time is "not easy"._


	12. Chapter 12 - It Has To Be Us

_Chapter 12 - It Has To Be Us_

* * *

As far as Link was concerned, the only person he would ever take orders from was Zelda. The commanding officers of the Royal Guard were all long dead along with the Last Great King of Hyrule. There was no one left to answer to but in the grand scheme of things, he supposed they never really mattered. Perhaps another reason his tongue did not possess the will to speak to fellow Hylian. Was he aware of his purpose from birth on some level and then in the act of growing forget until he found the Master Sword? What came first? Was any part of this soul his alone?

Link did not believe their roles – the Hero and the Goddess-blood Princess – were arranged in hierarchy but it did feel natural to lean on her for guidance. She did not share her opinion on whether or not they should follow the instructions from the pilots at the conclusion of the meeting.

But they slept for three days.

Link certainly did not _intend_ to. He couldn't remember falling asleep after they finished the salmon meuniere, never mind finishing it. He only became aware that they had upon himself waking to Zelda slipping from his arms in the dark and accidently jostling the empty bowl. Smoke suddenly lingered in the air. There was a faint hum of ghostly cicada laughter. They released each other quickly but she did not leave his bed. She settled down an arm's length from him in feeble asceticism. He sighed and pressed his hand down in between them where the mattress was still warm. She signed without making eye contact, her palm sweeping in a half circle from her shoulder to sternum and then crossing her index fingers. The motion was disjointed. Forced. Painful, like she was snapping a bone. _We can't._

He understood.

Their bodies did not.

They continued to gravitate to each other; a tangle of arms, legs and grief. Whenever they woke up, whoever remembered the risks of their closeness first would attempt to push away before dropping back into sleep. Each time the distance grew smaller and smaller. A strong tide creeping in. On the eve of the second day, he woke to the sound of someone closing the door to the room. A clumsy click with the kind of haste that meant they had been caught off guard. Embarrassed. Suggested privacy would be respected from then on.

His arms were looped protectively around her waist, face pressed against her chest. Zelda was curled around him, the thick of her thigh draped over him and a hand lost in his hair. Her breath was heavy with sleep and he had no energy to fight any longer. Rest was not as dreamless as it had been on Divine Beast Vah Medoh. Places and people visited him from the unconscious; flashes of memory that felt both ancient and beholden to him. A faceless woman teaching his pudgy fingers to sign. A city floating high above the clouds. Armor the shade of darkest emerald. A sandy-haired boy finding the Master Sword over and over and _over_. Echoes of a harp song. A crimson eyed thief. Mipha slowly going mad trapped alone in limbo. A man the size of a mountain with a vengeful threat history would be written in blood.

Link shuttered and buried his face against her. He heard Zelda stir and felt her fingers hesitate in his hair. A pause, a breath, and then they began to smooth over him as if she could feel his distress and sought to drain it completely from him. It was unfair for her to hold this, he told himself. All she had been through…he wished they could pour their sorrows out together but he could not keep himself from overflowing when she presented him with the chance. The truth was he was not strong enough. A soundless sob hitched in his throat and he burrowed deeper into her welcoming arms and away from the world they would have to save soon. A world that could not sustain and would call their souls to action once again. He had seen it in his dreams. Recognized now in the words of the Deku Tree and the pulse of the spirit within the Master Sword. It was a vicious circle he could not figure out how to escape or save them from.

 _Power…  
Wisdom...  
Courage…_

The Master Sword echoed three words in an ancient, piercing whisper. A siren call to the power inside him, he felt a stirring like dust rising in the wind of an approaching storm. Unfathomable power, as great as it was terrible. Boundless wisdom, the secret of secrets. Courage, a stubborn light that never goes out.

 _Power…  
Wisdom...  
Courage…_

 _All three or none at all._

His specific history was irrelevant; that was the reality of his existence. The power necessary to release his memories…the power to both seal and unlock the darkness. He did not need to be the version of himself before he became the Hylian Champion. The sword knew self-preservation well.

A weapon more clever than it's master.

* * *

Saki was waiting for them when they finally exited the room the following afternoon. The Rito did her best to look busy and indifferent to their extended rest but Link could tell she was concerned. She was a mother and her husband and son were miles away. She was quite literally keeping an empty nest. He could feel her fighting the urge to preen them.

"I guess you were tired, hm? You must be starving." Saki did not present them with the opportunity to answer. Using her massive right wing adorned with thick lavender feathers that smelt of cedar and snow, she ushered then into seats and pushed food into their hands. "I can heat it up if it is not warm enough. Hearty steamed mushrooms and spicy meat."

"You are too kind. Thank you." Zelda said. She pulled out the Sheikah Slate and began to scroll through the stream of messages they missed. Link took a bite of mushroom and peered over her shoulder.

"Riju took the next shift to watch Hyrule Castle. I guess she's got a good handle on Vah Naboris. She…wow…she _destroyed_ a cell of Yiga on the outskirts of Gerudo Desert."

"Her people must be impressed." Saki said. Link wondered what the soldiers would have to question now. She was defending her city and charging forward to protect Hyrule. Urbosa would be proud.

"Prince Sidon is next. He's…well, he is pleased it will give him the opportunity to celebrate his engagement as this will be the first royal Zora wedding since the King's own but," Zelda's voice changed into her best impersonation of Sidon's pleasant diction. " he 'remains eager to serve as an honored pilot of Hyrule'."

"Prince Sidon is engaged?" Saki chirped.

"Oh, his armor is beautiful." A picture flashed on the screen of Prince Sidon in a suit of shining dark opal and silver. Link immediately recognized Gruve standing beside him in similar armor. They were both beaming with rows of razor sharp teeth.

"I remember Prince Sidon mentioning him when we arrived to inspect Vah Ruta. He has a reputation as a very skilled warrior, particularly in the water. He was the Prince's right hand when he slayed the Octorok of Lurelin Village."

 _He is a diver._ Link added in sign. 'Warrior' was not the word that jumped immediately to mind when he thought of Gruve but then again, he had been surprised before (Purah). And if Sidon trusted him, he saw no reason to question the praise or undermine their matching.

"I imagine it is a lot like flying." Rito eyesight; perfect for reading lips. "But you do not have to worry about pulling up last minute." Apparently even Saki could not escape the Rito propensity for pride though it did not bother Link much. He was remembering that he'd survived worse. "You've seen him in action?"

Link rolled his head from side to side slowly to will the words to his tongue. The sensation of consciously speaking was similar to swallowing something too large. It nearly triggered him to vomit. "Not really."

"Yunobo is working with Robbie to control Vah Rudania. They've moved the Divine Beast to the Akkala Tech Lab. They have faith Yunobo will do well. He's more patient than Daruk or rather, more willing to at least _hear_ the instructions first." Zelda flipped through a few pictures. Robbie and Yunobo posing in front of Cherry with Jerrin scolding in the background. The Goron peering curiously over a decayed Guardian. "Robbie has a device ready for Impa. They are going to move it down to Kakariko once Yunobo has his bearings. Robbie is…very excited to see her," She swallowed hard and quoted. " 'after all this time'. "

"Anything from Teba?" Saki blurted, dipping her head down into her feathers so her neck disappeared. Zelda confirmed they were on their way back with Vah Medoh. The Rito excused herself only after making sure both of them finished their food. Zelda graciously denied her offer to make more and also framed it in a way that politely requested privacy.

Link waited until the sound of talons clicking against wood faded. His hands moved quickly. _I can't watch them all die._

Zelda nodded, covering her mouth with her trembling fingers. "Me either."

The burden of loss between them was palpable. History was gearing up to repeat itself, but this time if they lost their friends again it would consume them. Link could feel the fragility their brilliant lives. So much to lose and it could happen so fast. Beneath the veil of strength Zelda wore well, Link could see she was still mourning. Grief reflected from a prism of loss inside her.

"We have to finish this." She nodded a few more times to herself and glanced at him. "It has to be us."

* * *

They pretended to be asleep when Saki returned with supper. He could hear Teba chirping excitedly from the other room before Saki shushed him and shut the door. Link lopped the braid still intact in his hair between his fingers.

They left Rito Village just after nightfall. A combination of stealth elixirs and the massive distraction that was Divine Beast Vah Medoh circling over Hebra allowed them slip by Rito guard. Zelda thankfully figured out how to turn off the location tracker on the Sheikah Slate and did so just before they exited so Purah could not discover them.

The air was cool against his face. A northwest wind muted their footsteps. They picked up horses from the drowsy keep at Rito Stable and rode wordlessly and hard along the trail through the night. They raced the slow shift of twinkling stars and moonlight all the way to Carok Bridge. Only on the south end of the bridge did they paused to collect themselves in the shadow of Hyrule Castle. Vah Naboris marched slowly in the distance near Lake Kolomo. A few wild Guardians glowing a peaceful blue roamed the fields like bored spiders on a web. The sight of them made the hair on the back of Link's neck stand on end and his mouth fill with spit. The preference remained to avoid them when they traveled despite Calamity's defeat rendering them harmless. Judging by the way Zelda positioned herself a wall between Link and the machines, she must have felt the same.

With the sun creeping over the horizon, Link suspected Riju would be setting down within the Divine Beast to rest but they decided to err on the side of caution and abandon the horses. It was a short trip on foot along Regencia River to the castle moat where Link knew there were rafts they could sail undetected into the foundation. As they packed up to leave the bridge, Link spotted a perfectly positioned stone on the top of a raised pillar of earth. A familiar excitement rattled through the air at their closeness; a sign of the struggle to remain unseen. A week ago he would have eagerly shared the game with Zelda. The Korok puzzles always left him feeling lighter. A break within the seriousness of endless missions and quests. The joy of being found with nothing left to do but to go home.

He could not bring himself to play the game. He kept the secret of the tiny stone to himself as he led Zelda away and ignored the disappointed promise of seeds if they would _just turn back_. Link did not have the heart to tell it there was no home to return to. It was merciful to leave it be. Better to remain blissfully lost then to live in the hell of nowhere to go.

 _How are you feeling?_ Link signed as they floated across the moat.

"Stronger." She held her hands out in front of her and flexed her fingers as if admiring a pair of fresh gloves. "It feels like after you fell. I can't remember how many Guardians I destroyed before I faced Calamity Ganon but I'm sure I could take them all now." Link did not doubt it. She erased the magic from the Lost Woods.

"How about you?" She asked.

"The same." He had pondered it in every conscious moment since the fire. Revali's Gale, Daruk's Protection – precious gifts he counted on multiple times in the journey to his battle with Calamity Ganon. It was different than the Shrine of Resurrection. The abilities were not taken from him or lost. It was like something left outside in the winter, lost under a thick blanket of snow and only missed when it is uncovered in spring.

 _Can you hear it?_ He tilted his chin back to the Master Sword behind him.

She nodded. "Power, wisdom, courage. It's talking about the Springs."

" 'Fret not'? " He repeated.

Zelda braced herself as the raft prepared to dock against the mouth of a cave beneath the castle. "It sounds afraid."

* * *

 _Note: I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter...it has been a very busy month and unfortunately, it's only going to get worse through September. But...I mean...in a /good/ way - Like Sidon, I'm getting married! I'm not sure how much free time or energy I will have to write between now and then..I feel like I blinked and it is here and there is so much to do. I have a big licensing exam next weekend and then with the worry of studying off my plate, my goal is to get at least one more chapter out to you guys before we leave for our honeymoon. I will do my best!_

 _I'm thinking there may only be 2-3 more chapters left...(:_


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